All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd,), has hit a road block in his efforts to use Rivers State Governor Chibuike Amaechi as his running mate for the 2015 electoral battle, News Express can report this afternoon.

Less than 24 hours after Buhari emerged as the party’s candidate during APC’s National Convention in Lagos, party chiefs met, also in Lagos, to choose his running mate.

Informed sources told News Express that Buhari during the meeting indicated his preference for Amaechi as his running mate but the meeting but met stiff resistance from APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“Buhari made it clear that he wants Amaechi as his running mate but Tinubu and his people are playing politics,” a source close to the meeting told News Express. Tinubu and his camp are said to be in favour of a South-West running mate on the argument that the region needs to be enticed to vote for the party in the presidential election. Amaechi is from the South-South.

The disagreement is said to be responsible for the failure to announce Buhari’s running mate yesterday as expected. The announcement has been moved to Monday while party chiefs continue negotiations over the issue.

The moves to drop Amaechi as running mate has, however, angered the Equity partners of the APC merger – meaning the five governors who in November last year defected from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to join the APC, using as a platform the New PDP. Amaechi is the only one in the Equity camp known to be interested in becoming vice presidential running mate. He was shortlisted alongside Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole, Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola and former Lagos Attorney-General, Prof. Yemi Osibajo.

Two other chieftains of the Equity group contested the presidential primary election but lost. They are former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.

A member of the Equity camp who spoke with News Express on the issue asked rhetorically “If the Legacy group (parties that merged to form APC) cannot concede the running mate position to us, what is the relevance of New PDP in APC? What have we benefitted by leaving PDP for APC?”

•Photo shows Bola Tinubu.

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