President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday said the southern region should produce the presidential flagbearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The president made his position known at a meeting with the presidential hopefuls of the ruling party.

TheCable understands that the president said the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) caucus of the party should produce the flagbearer.

At the meeting, Buhari asked the APC governors and the presidential hopefuls to brace up for elective primaries, ruling out the possibility of a consensus candidate.

Some of the aspirants present, TheCable understands, announced their withdrawal from the race during the meeting.