Chief Whip of the Senate, Orji Uzor Kalu, on Monday claimed the All Progressives Congress has anointed Ahmad Lawan as its consensus presidential candidate.

Mr Kalu made the claim during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today.

Senate President Lawan has emerged as one of the frontrunners in the race to pick up the APC’s presidential ticket in recent weeks.

But he faces stiff opposition from southern candidates, who have the backing of northern APC Governors.

President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday said he has no anointed presidential candidate, saying party delegates will decide the party’s choice.

The APC is scheduled to conclude its presidential primaries by June 8 at a special convention in Abuja.

Consensus candidate

Kalu said the National Chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Adamu, had announced Lawan as the party’s choice in an NWC meeting on Monday.

Mr Adamu is yet to officially confirm or deny the comment.

“Abdullahi Adamu is a very experienced and credible man,” Kalu said. “They had NWC meeting and the NWC, in their wisdom, from the consultations that have been made throughout, and selected Ahmad Lawan as a consensus candidate.

“People in the NWC confirmed this to me. One or two people disagreed but the majority had their way.

“The Chairman of the party cannot be acting on his own. He can never act on his own.

“If the Chairman of the party has said that, it is the choice of the party. And the choice of the party is the choice of the President.” (Channels TV)

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