Jigawa State governor, Muhammad Badaru Abubakar has joined 12 other presidential aspirants on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Badaru described himself as the best candidate for the job after paying N100 million to obtain the nomination forms of the ruling party.
“I will join the Presidential race since everyone knows I’m a highly qualified person to do the job,” he declared during a meeting of APC members at Government House, Dutse, on Tuesday night.
Mr Badaru’s move followed the decision of President Muhammadu Buhari to allow northern candidates to contest the ruling party’s presidential ticket, according to people familiar with the matter, The Peoples Gazette reports.
Mr Buhari’s decision could threaten the party’s alliance of northern and southern politicians as it casts doubt over the zoning of the top ticket to southern aspirants on equity grounds.
Two sources familiar with the matter said Mr Buhari has become increasingly doubtful lately about the ability of a southern candidate to win a presidential election, especially if the opposition Peoples Democratic Party presents a candidate of northern origin.
Our sources said three northern governors, including Mr Badaru, had been asked to pick the nomination forms for the APC on the back of the president’s about-face.
An alliance between Mr Buhari and a southern coalition that included Bola Tinubu had propelled him to the presidency in 2015.
Mr Tinubu, who has declared his intention to run for president, has been operating on the assumption that he would have an upper hand in nomination because Mr Buhari would support zoning the party’s ticket to the south.
On Tuesday, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu warned in a statement that failure to zone the APC ticket to southern candidates will constitute a betrayal that could fast-track the party’s disintegration.
With his declaration, Badaru joins the growing list of presidential hopefuls in the ruling party.
They include Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo; Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige; Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi; Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba; Ekiti Governor, Kayode Fayemi and former Edo Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, seeking to replace Buhari in 2023.
Others are Yahaya Bello, governor of Kogi state; Bola Tinubu, former Lagos State governor and Godswill Akpabio, minister of Niger Delta.
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