Oshiomhole for president posters appears at the last minute ahead of APC convention in Abuja

POSTERS touting the candidacy of former Edo State governor Adams Oshiomhole and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor Godwin Emefiele have flooded Abuja today ahead of the All Progressives Congress (APC) party convention to pick its presidential candidate.

Over recent weeks, the APC has been torn apart by divisions as in the run-up to the convention, different camps have been touting their candidates. Apart from agreeing on who the APC presidential candidates us for next year's election, the convention will also elect party officials.

Rather shockingly, posters of Governor Oshiomhole have appeared at the last minute, describing the former APC chairman as the man for the 2023 presidency. It is not certain where the posters emanated from as Mr Oshiomhole had not publicly indicated an interest in contesting for the 2023 presidential election.

In 2019, campaign posters of Mr Oshiomhole and Nasir El-Rufai, the Kaduna State governor, were sighted in Lagos for the 2023 elections. At the time, Mr Oshiomhole attributed them to the handiwork of mischief-makers.

Also today, campaign posters of Mr Emefiele, who has also not openly declared his intention to join the 2023 presidential race, have flooded Eagle Square in Abuja, the venue of tomorrow's convention. Apparently, a cabal led by the attorney-general of the federation Abubakar Malami is strongly behind the push for Mr Emefiele to succeed President Buhari ahead of other contenders.

One party source said: "The “APC is torn between Osinbajo and Tinubu and Emefiele’s people, each pushing their own candidate and agenda."

Recently, Mr Emefiele’s supporters, mainly youths in white T-shirts with the inscription MEFFY 2023, were seen at an occasion in Lagos. Wale Fapohunda, the convener of the group, told the gathering that since Mr Emefiele’s appointment as CBN governor, he had spent his energy building a resilient financial system that can serve the development needs of the economy.

Although vice president Professor Yemi Osinbajo has also not openly declared his interest in the 2023 presidential race, different groups have been soliciting support for him. In January, a group called the Concerned Citizens of Nigeria launched an online petition, urging Nigerians to persuade Professor to contest the presidency in 2023.