President Muhammadu Buhari has backtracked in his earlier decision of handpicking his preferred candidate who will succeed him in office when his tenure expires next year.
Before embarking on a state visit to Spain earlier in the week, Mr Buhari had appealed to state governors of the All Progressive Congress (APC) to support him in picking his would-be successor.
But on Saturday night while at a dinner with presidential hopefuls of the APC in Abuja, Mr Buhari, dumped the alternative, advising aspirants to prepare for the primary scheduled for next week Monday.
His decision comes moments after 11 Northern governors backed power shift to the South, advising him to follow suit.
The president who later backed power shift to the Southern part of the country during the gathering reportedly said the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) block of the ruling party during its merger in 2014 should produce the party’s presidential candidate.
The ACN camp has Bola Tinubu, former Lagos governor and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo as top contenders.
