… As APC puts pressure on INEC to shift deadline for primaries
The ruling All Progressives Congress is putting pressure on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to extend the deadline for presidential primaries.
Some stakeholders in the ruling party have planned to hawk pressure on the electoral body to shift the deadline to allow more presidential aspirants to show interest.
A source that spoke with Vanguard stated that the action of the APC has a link with the failure of President Muhammadu Buhari to reveal his preferred presidential aspirant in 2023.
The source said, “We were in a meeting and we were told that the APC seeks an extension of the deadline for the presidential primaries.
“You know that the deadline for the APC primaries is no longer feasible and the party argues that they may not meet up with the deadline, hence the call for an extension.
“Also, the APC wants to draft some aspirants like the Senate President into the presidential primaries because President Buhari is yet to make up his mind on who he wants to succeed him.
“There are feelers that the President is yet to make up his mind and pressure is being mounted on him to throw his weight behind a particular aspirant.
“Also, time is running out against the APC and one of the options, which they feel is possible, is to get INEC to extend the deadline for presidential primaries.
“As you know, the APC cannot do it alone and that is why they (APC) want to lobby the PDP into the scheme.
“The APC wants to lobby the PDP with the excuse that they (PDP) have logistics challenges which will give room for the extension of the deadline.”
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