The search for the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) recorded an intriguing twist today, hours to the party’s Convention as the National Chairman of the party, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, suddenly announced Nigeria’s Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, as the consensus candidate of the party.

With the announcement, there is fear over the likely reaction of the camps of the other leading presidential aspirants in the party, including the camps of the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Governor Dave Umahi, amongst others.

It would be recalled that the announcement came amidst agitation by most of these aspirants that equity demands zoning of the ticket to the South after Buhari’s tenure.

Following the agitation, the politics of the likely candidate for the ruling party, APC, has been most interesting.

So, before Adamu’s announcement at the meeting of APC’s National Working Committee (NWC) today in Abuja, President Muhammadu Buhari and some stakeholders in the party held several crucial meetings. This follows Buhari’s last minutes request for a consensus candidate and to be allowed to pick his successor.

The latest of such meetings before the announcement was the one Buhari held with northern governors of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Adamu made the announcement at the meeting of the National Working Committee (NWC) on Monday in Abuja, according to The Nation Newspaper.

“Other aspirants including Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; Dr Kayode Fayemi and David Umahi, among others will, however, be allowed to contest the primary at the convention holding tomorrow at the Eagle Square, Abuja,” The Nation report said.

It should be recalled that Senator Lawan is from the Northeast geo-political zone, the same zone with PDP’s candidate and former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar,