The leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the North-West have demanded the position of vice president ahead of the July 15 deadline set by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the substitution of candidates by political parties where necessary.

Against this background, the leaders of the party from the region have decided to engage the presidential candidate of the party, Senator Bola Tinubu, to make their views known.

The North-West leaders are coming out for the first time after the special convention of the party which produced Tinubu to make a demand for the position.

The position of the North-West APC leaders was contained in a statement issued by the APC National Vice-Chairman (North-West), Dr. Salihu Lukman after their meeting held on Thursday in Kaduna.

The statement informed that party leaders from the region who were at the Kaduna meeting include APC governors, gubernatorial candidates and ministers from the North-West resgion.

It said, “The meeting noted the contribution of the North-West to the emergence and growth of the APC and its electoral viability, with the North-West providing about 39% of the votes the APC recorded in 2019 and 2015 presidential elections.

“Therefore, the zone resolved to aggregate its interests and vital concerns and engage accordingly with the presidential candidate of the party.”

The leaders acknowledged the challenges facing some state chapters of the party and resolved to promote efforts at reconciliation as an urgent priority.