Gen Buhari takes lead in APC presidential primary with over 70% of vote

FORMER head of state General Muhammadu Buhari is set to clinch the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) after taking an unassailable lead at the party's convention and is poised to face President Goodluck Jonathan next February.

At the APC's national convention held in Lagos yesterday, with over half of the votes counted, General Buhari had accumulated over 70% of the votes counted so far. As of at the time of going to press, General Buhari had 821votes, representing 71%, followed by Governor Rochas Okorocha with 164 votes representing 14%, followed by former vice president Atiku Abubakar who had 103 votes or 8.8%, then followed by Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso with 48 votes and then Sam Nda-Isaiah with 22 votes.

Held at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos, the convention involved 7,214 delegates casting their votes in a well-organised and carefully planned event. After party leaders and all the five aspirants spoke, delegates proceeded to vote according to their states in an orderly fashion and once that was completed, the task of counting then started.

Ekiti State delegate Senator Babafemi Ojudu said that the final results are not likely to be ready until around 4pm. Yesterday, President Jonathan was confirmed as the People's Democratic Party's candidate and in a repeat of the 2011 elections, he and General Buhari are set to go head-to-head in next February's elections.