APC presidential primaries: El-Rufai reveals how Buhari turned him down on anointed candidate

The Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has revealed how President Muhammadu Buhari turned him down when he called on the President to anoint a candidate prior to the All Progressives Congress, APC’s presidential primaries.

Recall that President Buhari few days before the primary had asked the Progressives Governors to allow him pick his successor, creating impression he had someone in mind.

Speaking on Channels Television on Friday evening, El-Rufai said the President overcame the pressure of deciding who the Kaduna delegates would vote for among the five Southern aspirants submitted to him.

“I went to Mr President [Muhammadu Buhari] and asked him ‘have you decided who we should vote for?’ And he said, ‘I told you, go and vote for any of the five’,” El-Rufai said.

“And I said, ‘Mr. President, Kaduna delegates are your delegates, you’re going to retire and live in Kaduna. So you can tell me who you want out of the five?’

“And Mr. President said ‘I want all five, let the delegates choose. Tell them to vote their conscience. They’re representing 10 million people of Kaduna State. It is their responsibility. So let them discharge it and choose the right candidate.”

KEMI FILANI NEWS had reported that former Lagos Governor and National Leader of the ruling party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, eventually won the presidential primary after he scored 1,271 to defeat his closest challenger, former Governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Amaechi, who polled 316.