8 APC presidential hopefuls currently aspiring to take over from Buhari

The contest to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari by members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is getting real and fierce.

Ahead of the party’s primaries holding next month, many presidential aspirants have declared their interests in the 2023 presidency.

These politicians also have been meeting with power brokers across the country for consultations and endorsements.

Among those who have declared are incumbent governors, ex-governors, and lawmakers, who wish to crown their political attainments with the presidency.

So far, in the APC, eight politicians have shown interest in succeeding President Buhari, and in no particular order, here is a list of the politicians that want to become Nigeria’s next president.

Bola Tinubu 

Fondly referred to as Jagaban by his political supporters, the former Governor of Lagos is the first aspirant in the ruling APC to announce his interest in the 2023 presidency this year. 

Having served as a governor and senator representing Lagos State, Tinubu believes the presidency is his lifelong ambition and he’s bent on actualising this goal.

Currently, Tinubu is the National leader of the governing APC. Though he is yet to officially declare his presidential bid, he’s been moving around the country since January meeting political and traditional leaders.

David Umahi

The incumbent Governor of Ebonyi State dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in November 2021.

Umahi joined the race when he met President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday, January 11, 2022.

Affirming his presidential bid, Umahi recently dismissed the report that he has stepped down his presidential ambition as a senseless falsehood.

Yemi Osinbajo

Nigeria’s Vice President joined the presidential race on Monday, April 11, 2022, three months after his political benefactor, Bola Tinubu announced his presidential bid. 

Osinbajo in some quarters is believed to be President Buhari’s anointed candidate while others believe he is not the favourite candidate the president was referring to in his last year’s interview. 

In any case, Osinbajo is in the race and he hopes to continue the ‘good works’ of the government he administers with Buhari. 

Rochas Okorocha

The former Governor of Imo State informed the Senate of his intention to run for president in the 2023 general elections.

Okorocha currently represents Imo West Senatorial district at the 9th Nigerian Senate. 

He has been a member of the APC since 2013 when he was serving as Imo State Governor. 

Rotimi Amaechi

The Minister of Transportation officially joined the presidential race on Saturday, April 9, 2022, at a thanksgiving event organised by the APC members in Rivers State.

Like Osinbajo, due to his political romance with Buhari, some political analysts believe Amaechi is the favourite candidate the president is shielding from being eliminated from the presidential race. 

The former Governor of Rivers State has been consulting and meeting political stakeholders to get his presidential bid endorsed.

Yahaya Bello

As it stands, the Governor of Kogi State is the youngest presidential aspirant among the 2023 presidential aspirants in the APC.

The 46-year-old governor has since 2021 been taking steps to register his intention in the public consciousness. 

During his presidential declaration earlier in April, Bello promised to make 20 million Nigerians millionaires by 2030. 

Sani Yerima

Despite the clamour for the presidency to be zoned to the southern part of the country, former Governor of Zamfara state, Senator Sani Yerima believes zoning would not stop him from contesting.

Yerima declared to run for president in December 2021, while dismissing claims of any zoning arrangement in the APC. 

The 61-year-old politician has served both as a governor and senator representing Zamfara West. 

Orji Kalu

In January, the Chief Whip of the Senate, Orji Uzor Kalu declared himself the most prepared presidential candidate in Nigeria.

Kalu believes the southeast is ripe for the presidency, but it seems the politician would only contest if the ruling APC zones its presidential ticket to the region.

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For now, these are the politicians in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) that have shown interest in the 2023 presidency. 

These are speculations that the Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige, and his counterpart in the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation, Ogbonnaya Onu may join the race anytime soon.

This list would be updated when more politicians in the APC join the race.