Six candidates vying for the position of the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the party’s ongoing convention, have stepped down from the contest.
The former candidates said they decided to back the candidate of President, Muhammdu Buhari, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, as their consensus candidate.
The decision was contained in a letter sent to the Chairman of the APC Election Sub-Committee on Friday, signed by Senator George Akume, who was also among those vying for the position.
Meanwhile, Lagos State chapter of the party, has settled for a 36-year-old Dayo Israel and former Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Lateef Ibirogba, as National Youth Leader and South-West Zonal Organising Secretary respectively in today’s APC National Convention.
The decision of the Lagos APC was announced by the party chairman, Pastor Cornelius Ojebabi, during a meeting organised for party chieftains and delegates at the Lagos Governor’s Lodge, Abuja by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
The dinner was attended by Sanwo-Olu, his deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat; Ojelabi; members of the Governance Advisory Council, the apex leadership body of Lagos APC; members of National Assembly from Lagos State; Lagos State House of Assembly members; State Executive Council members and Chairmen of the Local Governments in Lagos State, among others.
Speaking during the dinner, Governor Sanwo-Olu, who commended all the party leaders and delegates for travelling from Lagos to Abuja to participate in the APC national convention, expressed his support for Israel and Ibirogba as chosen by the party to represent Lagos in the National Working Committee as well as the South West level of the APC.
“They have shown our two candidates that we are bringing forward; the National Youth Leader, Dayo Isreal from Lagos Island in Lagos Central, and Lateef Ibirogba from Alimosho in Lagos West. We are sure that they will represent us very well,” he was quoted as saying in a statement.
Ojelabi commended the governor for putting together the dinner and his contribution to the progress of the party. He also commended the delegates for travelling from Lagos for the convention.
The APC chairman implored the delegates to work for the emergence of Dayo Israel and Lateef Ibirogba as National Youth Leader and South-West Zonal Organising Secretary Organising respectively.