, ABUJA, May 31 – Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari invited state governors from the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) party on Tuesday to back him in selecting a successor to run for president in a presidential election in February 2023.

Nigerians will go to the polls to elect a new president, as Buhari will step down after eight years as the leader of Africa’s most populous country.

The APC has scheduled a special convention on June 6-8 to elect a presidential candidate. If the president has his way and the governors, who have sway over voting delegates, rally behind his nominee, the other contenders will be forced to drop out of the race and avoid a vote.

Twenty-three candidates have registered to run, including Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and Bola Tinubu, a strong former governor of Lagos state, as well as various governors.

Buhari stated in an address to state governors that the APC has put in place rules to promote seamless succession at all levels of government, including giving governors the right to choose who would follow them.

“In accordance with the party’s established internal norms…, I would like to seek the participation and support of governors and other stakeholders in the selection of my successor, who would fly the flag of our party for election into the office of the president,” Buhari stated.

It may be difficult to persuade governors to support a single candidate because some desire to run in the primary. Buhari could also face a backlash from Osinbajo and Tinubu, who have been campaigning to win over delegates.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has been chosen as the main opposition’s presidential candidate.