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Tag: BUHARI

  • Buhari: my plan for Nigeria

    Buhari: my plan for Nigeria

    All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate Gen. Muhammadu Buhari yesterday spoke on his plan for the beleaguered country, saying that his administration will restore security, tackle poverty and fight corruption, if elected as President in next year’s election.

    The 73 year-old politician also promised to revive the manufacturing sector, fight infrastructure decay and promote ethnic and religious harmony in a country battling with ethno-religious tensions.

    He said: “It is time to close this demeaning chapter in our system. There are challenges ahead. But, I promise to give all my life for Nigeria.”

    The former military Head of State unfolded his vision for Nigeria, shortly after accepting the party’s nomination of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the party’s maiden presidential primaries held at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos.

    Gen. Buhari, who got 3,430 of the 5,922 total votes cast by delegates, was presented with a broom, five copies of the party’s manifesto and the revised APC Constitution by the National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, who urged him to use the broom to sweep away the evil that has bedevilled the country.

    The candidate thanked the Planning Committee led by former Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi, for conducting a hitch-free primary. He also paid tribute to the former Interim National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, for his pioneering work of development and former Lagos State Governor Bola Tinubu and his successor, Babatunde Fashola (SAN) for ensuring a secured and clean Lagos.

    Exuding happiness, the presidential flag bearer described the outcome of the primary as democracy at work, stressing that freedom of association has been affirmed by the APC.

    He said: “It is not about winning or losing, but about the freedom of association in democracy. I thank the contestants for putting up a good fight. It will deepen democracy and send the message about our preparation for the impending election.”

    Gen. Buhari, who promised to meet with the four contestants to discuss strategies for confronting the 2015 challenge, thanked the delegates for participating in the exercise.

    He said: “It is with a deep sense of humility that I accept the nomination of my party to stand for the 2015 presidential election. I am not better than the other aspirants. I see it as a mark of tribute and honour and an opportunity to fight poverty, insecurity and homelessness. It is not about the fulfillment of the aspiration of one person.”

    The former military leader promised to promote unity, cohesion and harmony among Nigerians, irrespective of their ethnic and religious affiliations.

    Gen. Buhari reflected on governance, saying that leaders who cannot fulfill their obligations to the people are not good leaders.

    He said while Nigeria’s delegations abroad are usually the largest, it always the least attractive.

    Buhari catalogued the manifestations of bad governance, pointing out that the abduction of the Chibik girls and stampede at the Immigration recruitment test left a sour taste in the mouth.

    The APC flag bearer pledged to govern with honesty and according to the constitution and the rule of law. He also promised to restore security, tackle poverty, fight corruption, provide living wages and opportunities for job and promote harmony among ethnic groups.

    Gen. Buhari said: “APC is a new party for Nigeria. I will provide job policies and restore the dignity of work through the living wage. I will provide a national industrial policy, revive the manufacturing sector and encourage less dependence on imports . We will have a robust agricultural policy and agricultural extension programmes.”

  • Buhari’s emergence unsettles PDP

    Buhari’s emergence unsettles PDP

    Anxiety yesterday pervaded the atmosphere at the Wadatta House national secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the emergence of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) as the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Signs of unease started creeping in when it became obvious that Buhari was coasting home to victory. The counting of the ballot was streamed live on the television.

      PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, who had earlier schedule a press conference following his party’s expectation that Buhari would not clinch the ticket at the Teslim Balogun, Sulere, Lagos venue of the APC National Convention,  tactically shelved the idea.

    After waiting endlessly for Metuh till 6pm, one of the reporters deployed to cover the conference was forced to call Metuh on the phone.

    But Metuh, who had ‘sneaked out’ of party secretariat, told his caller that he was summoned to report at the Presidential Villa. The PDP spokesman said the briefing could no longer hold.

    Directives were given by the policemen deployed in the secretariat to vacate the premises. No reasons were offered for the directive, which was promptly carried out.

     The usual practice was for the PDP, through its spokesman, to always await the outcome of major event stated by the opposition APC before reacting. But yesterday was different.

    Metuh eventually issued a statement at 8pm welcoming the Buhari challenge and declaring President Goodluck Jonathan as “the best”.

     Mutuh said in the statement:”The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has welcomed the emergence of former Military Head of State, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari as the presidential flag bearer of Bola Tinubu’s All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2015 general elections.

     The statement reads: “This will be the fourth time Gen Buhari will be contesting in the presidential elections. On each of the three previous occasions, he failed to articulate a vision of the future that was acceptable to Nigerians.

    “On each occasion, his brand of politics was rejected across Nigeria. Apart from changing to a dinner suit, Gen. Buhari, has not changed the tired ideas and provocative utterances that Nigerians rejected in previous elections.

    “We hope that this time round, Gen. Buhari will conduct a campaign that is issue based and devoid of ethno-religious sentiments.

    “We are convinced that the PDP remains the only truly national political party in Nigeria, a platform on which all Nigerians can pursue their legitimate aspirations.

    “We also believe that despite the distractions, President Goodluck Jonathan has a genuine record of accomplishments on which to run and deserves a second term. President Jonathan’s re-election will guarantee unity and stability for Nigerians. His second term will also deliver prosperity to Nigerians.

     “Finally, in the words of our own President, the choice before Nigerians in the coming election is simple: A choice between going forward or going backwards; between the new ways and the old ways; between freedom and repression; between a record of visible achievements and beneficial reforms – and desperate power-seekers with empty promises”.

     It was learnt yesterday that series of meetings were hurriedly summoned by prominent PDP leaders and stakeholders on the implications of the Buhari candidacy and the need to review strategies for the battle ahead.

     A highly-placed source within the party, who confided in our correspondent, confirmed the ruling party was a bit ruffled by what he described as “the turn of events” at the APC presidential primaries.

     The source, who craved anonymity, told our correspondent on the telephone that the PDP leadership is no longer at ease with the unfolding scenario.

    He said: “I must be honest with you that we did not envisage that the result of the APC primaries would go this way. The various meetings going on among our leaders and other stakeholders are geared towards reviewing our strategies.

    “Although the event caught our leaders flat-footed, the party is by no means in disarray because we left ample room for us to accommodate alternative plans. We are not afraid to face Buhari or any other candidate the APC may decide to field against our candidate, President Goodluck Jonathan”.

    Another source told our correspondent that the PDP was not comfortable with the cult-like followership that Buhari attracts, particularly among the masses in the Northwest and the Northeast geopolitical zones.

    According to the source, the margin with which Buhari defeated the four other contestants with votes from APC delegates across the six geo-political zones, has become a source of great worry for the ruling party.

     The conclusion of the primaries of the two major political parties has set the state for firce  electioneering campaigns for the 2015 presidential election.

    The Man Buhari

    Born on December 17, 1942, in Daura, Katsina State, General Muhammdu Buhari, a retired General, was Head of State from December 31, 1983 to August 27, 1985.

     Buhari, who joined the army in 1962, came to widespread public attention in 1976, when he became the Minister (or Federal Commissioner) for Petroleum and Natural Resources under the then Head of State, Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo.

     He had earlier served as a Governor of the then newly created North-Eastern State in the regime of the late Gen. Murtala Mohammed.

    Buhari, who is the presidential standard bearer of the All Progressive Party (PDP), later became Chairman, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

    Buhari, who was Head of the Third Armored Division of Jos, became the Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces in 1983, following a military coup that overthrew the civilian administration of Alhaji Shehu Shagari.

    The late Maj-Gen Tunde Idiagbon was the Chief of General Staff in the administration.

     Buhari initiated a public campaign against indiscipline with the “War Against Indiscipline (WAI)” during his regime.

     He served as the Chairman of the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF), a body created by the administration of the late Gen. Sani Abacha and funded from revenue generated from the increase in the prices of petroleum products to pursue developmental projects.

     Buhari, who contested the presidential election in 2003 on the platform of the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) but lost to the former President Olusegun Obasanjo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

     On December 18, 2006, the former head of state was nominated as the consensus candidate of the ANPP to run against his kinsmen at the April 2007 poll, Alhaji Umaru Yar A’dua.

     He, however, dumped the ANNP in March 2010 for the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), a party he helped formed and nurtured.

    Buhari had explained his exit from the ANPP to the CPC “as a solution to the debilitating, ethical and ideological conflicts in my former party the ANPP”.

    He ran, as the CPC presidential candidate, against President Goodluck Jonathan of the PDP, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and Ibrahim Shekarau of the ANPP in the April 16, 2011 general elections.

    Though his three previous attempts (in the 2003, 2007 and 2011) to return to the Government House were unsuccessful, Buhari got on the track yesterday by clinching the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (CPC), when  for the office of the president of Nigeria general elections.

  • That Buhari letter to APC delegates

    SIR: I wish to draw attention to the salient issues raised in the open letter by Muhammadu Buhari, the APC Presidential candidate to the delegates of his party published in The Nation of yesterday, December 10.

    He mentioned insecurity, corruption and economic collapse as some factors that have brought the country low. He further stressed that it is overdue for all and sundry to work together to lift Nigeria up.

    You will agree with me that this is a humble and articulate stance of someone that really knows what he wants; what are expected of him and that, he can only achieve the objectives with the co-operation of all well meaning Nigerians.  This also is a position that could be taken only by someone that realizes that something is definitely wrong somewhere and is willing and ready to make amends for a better future. He went further to state that he has served Nigeria to the best of his ability and that he has always tried to give more to the nation than the country has given him which is the principle that has guided his public life. To me, this is an open claim and challenge to anyone that can come forward to raise objections.

    Buhari went further to say that he is not a rich person this is also an open claim and a challenge to anyone that has contrary opinion about the true status of the man to come forward and expose him to the world otherwise, he would be considered to be the only former Head of State of this country to be in that position. To this end, he said he is not in a position to give the delegates a fistfull of dollars or naira to purchase their support. Most importantly, he said even if he could do so, he will never do it because the fate of the nation is not for sale. This statement can only come out from someone that is principled, committed, patriotic and full of dignity.

    Furthermore, he said that he does not intend to rule Nigeria but to democratically govern it with our help. This is also a statement that can only be said by someone who knows the differences and objectives of democratic governance compared to others. Continuing, he said he is seeking a country where Christians and Muslims will practice their faith in peace and security, a Nigeria where corruption will no longer trespass into our national behavior but a country where our diversity could be used for our national prosperity.

    The content of the letter should be embraced by our politicians and leaders as guiding principles to good governance. It is a clarion call and challenge to everyone that truly want to serve. I will be looking forward to reading such eye catching, conscience pricking and hope raising statements from all our leaders going forward.

    •Raymond Oise-Oghaede.

  • Buhari declared winner of APC primaries

    Buhari declared winner of APC primaries

    Former head of state, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), on Thursday secured the All Progressives Congress presidential ticket after edging out four other aspirants at the party’s primary election held at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.

    According to the result announced by the Chairman of the Convention Planning Committee, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, Buhari polled 3, 430 votes to brush aside competition from Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, who recorded 974 votes.

    Former vice president Atiku Abubakar came third with 954 votes.

    While Imo State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, got 624 votes, the Publisher of Leadership Newspaper, Dr. Sam Nda –Isaiah, garnered 10 votes.

    16 votes were declared invalid by election officials.

    The election result was signed by agents of the five presidential aspirants.

    Following Buhari’s success at the APC primaries, the stage is now set for a titanic battle between the Daura-born former army general and President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party in next February presidential poll.

    The former head of state had contested three previous presidential elections in 2003, 2007 and 2011, losing on those occasions to PDP candidates.

    Over 7,000 delegates took part in the exercise  monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials, including the National Commissioner, Col. M.A. Amanga and the Lagos State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Adekunle Ogunmola.

    Meanwhile, Atiku has congratulated Buhari over his victory at the primaries, saying his triumph at the poll was well deserved.

    “Gen. Muhammadu Buhari ran a spirited campaign, and that since the delegates have spoken, he fully deserves the victory.

    “I am very confident that you will provide the needed leadership to turn this country around. I have no doubt that you will work with dedicated and qualified Nigerians to protect our citizens, improve our economy, create jobs, improve education, reform governance and fight corruption.

    “You will indeed bring the change Nigerians have been yearning for. Once more, congratulations,” the former vice president said in a statement issued by his media office in Lagos.

     

  • Atiku congratulates Buhari

    Atiku congratulates Buhari

    … Says, ‘ The delegates have spoken’

    Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has congratulated Gen. Muhammadu Buhari on his victory at the All Progressives Congress presidential primaries held on Thursday.

    Atiku in a statement issued by his media office in Lagos said the former head of state ran a spirited campaign, and that since the delegates have spoken, he fully deserves the victory.

    The statement reads:

    “I am very confident that you will provide the needed leadership to turn this country around. I have no doubt that you will work with dedicated and qualified Nigerians to protect our citizens, improve our economy, create jobs, improve education, reform governance and fight corruption. You will indeed bring the change Nigerians have been yearning for. Once more, congratulations.

    “I congratulate the other contestants – namely Governors Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and Rochas Okorocha as well as the erudite Sam Nda-Isaiah. You have all demonstrated your commitment to democracy by participating in this transparent process and by campaigning vigorously across this country.

    “I thank our delegates for their sacrifices and their commitment to democracy. In particular, I thank those who voted for me for your faith in me. However, since we came up short, we have to now rally behind Gen. Buhari to help him prevail in the coming Presidential election.

    “The APC has demonstrated, through the transparent process, the party’s commitment to democracy and rule of law. It has demonstrated its respect for people and their choice through the ballot box.

    “I sincerely thank the Convention Committee for putting together a hitch-free convention.

    “My dear friends, we have voted, a winner has emerged. I pledge my commitment to this party, and to campaign vigorously for our candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari and all APC candidates to ensure victory in the 2015 elections.

    “I call on all other contestants and our party’s rank and file to unite behind our candidates at all levels to ensure that the PDP is defeated, so Nigerians can have real change.

    “I will hand over to Gen. Buhari for his review and possible implementation, my policy document which was developed in line with the party’s philosophy.”

     

     

  • Buhari and fear of change

    SIR: Of the chunk of problems facing Nigeria today, corruption and bad leadership, save the security crisis, stand out. In a sane society, and I believe Nigeria is one, solutions will be sought and men of strong and incorruptible characters drafted to champion the fight against economic and moral indiscipline.

    It has become clear that the little or staged attempts to tackle corruption have failed woefully and that there is the need for a shining example of a disciplined and incorruptible figure in the most coveted office of the presidency. If there is a general agreement among Nigerians, it is that General Muhammadu Buhari stands for discipline and principle. Of all the adjectives used to describe him, incorruptible and disciplined always stick to him.

    This should be easy then, isn’t it? The voters should simply troop out and try to change the nation’s fortunes by voting for a corrupt free Nigeria. But that has failed to happen, on three occasions. The status quo was maintained and now we are here.

    The reason for the failure of the retired general to secure the electorate’s mandate, is that we (most of us at least) are afraid of change. Change would mean that corrupt leaders will be apprehended and monies will be recovered. Change would mean that oil theft and bunkering would be frowned upon. Change would also mean a whole lot of other things that a lot of Nigerians are used to, and seemed normal, but would have to drop.

    One other reason why the mass sympathy for General Buhari and the yearning for change have failed to convert into votes is that we are afraid of what would become of our lives if this change materializes.

     

    • Sulaiman Aliyu

    Gwagwalada, Abuja

  • Buhari: I will not leave APC even if I lose in primary

    Buhari: I will not leave APC even if I lose in primary

    Ahead of Wednesday’s All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primary election, former Head of State, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), has said he will stick with the party should he lose the ticket.

    Buhari stated this yesterday during a live interview on Channels Television, where he spoke on security, the economy, unemployment and other issues of national importance.

    He noted that the primary will be keenly contested, adding that the process will be transparent because of the experience, maturity and commitment of the members of the planning committee.

    Calling himself a converted democrat, Buhari said he insisted on a transparent process, which will be done free and fair.

    “I cannot leave the APC even if I lose the primary because I signed an undertaking. APC has what it takes to bring the desired change in this country.  Mergers never succeeded in this country but ours did. Whatever we can do to make the party stand we will do.  So, we have to examine the extent of our patriotism,” he said.

    The former leader, who said the processes to the primaries have been “so far, so good”, noted that Wednesday’s election will be keenly contested.

    Stating that he was not forced to sign the undertaking to remain in the party even if he lost in the primary, Buhari said the undertaking was introduced to ensure stability in the party.

    Buhari said: “The primaries will be keenly contested. I am a converted democrat and I believe in transparency and a free and fair process. I will accept the result of the primary. I believe in the committee because it is headed by experience and mature people. It has been so far, so good.

    “I signed the undertaking, it is not cohesion. The party is the platform and it decided we have to stabilise it. We read and signed the undertaking. In Nigeria, the party is supreme because anyone aspiring to occupy an elective office must belong to a party. That is what the Constitution says. So, the party has its regulations and anyone who cannot abide by it, is free to walkout.

    “I know the implication of the undertaking and I went ahead to sign it. The bond is to stabilise the party and so, whatever we can do to strengthen the party, we will do.”

  • Buhari, APC and 2015

    Buhari, APC and 2015

    Until Aminu Tambuwal, Speaker of the House of Representatives, dropped out of the six-horse race to pick the All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket for the presidential contest, it was hard to tell whether former military head of state, Gen Muhammadu Buhari, would have achieved runaway victory. I rooted for Hon Tambuwal for reasons I had spelt out in this place at least three times. I expected he would win or come near doing so for possessing believable democratic credentials, for being liberal and gregarious without being populist and pedestrian, and for being modern, expansive, intellectual, intuitive and full of solicitudes, as his fellow lawmakers can attest. But as I warned here last week, would the country still be ready for him some four years or more down the road? Of the five aspirants left in the race, I think that notwithstanding his weaknesses and adeptness at courting controversies, Gen Buhari is today easily the man to beat. This will be his fourth try, and the last. His 2011 effort was his best attempt ever, physically, emotionally and logistically. However, I think he will run the 2015 race virtually in a state of suspended animation, buoyed up by other people’s emotional capital, logistical deployment and physical rigour.

    The other four aspirants can’t hold the candle to Gen Buhari, notwithstanding his advanced age and sworn mendicancy. Abubakar Atiku, for reasons best known to nature, is dogged by bad press, some of it actively cultivated and insinuated by his former boss, President Olusegun Obasanjo. Nothing was ever really proved against him, but Chief Obasanjo and many others seem to believe that the former vice president lives above his means, procures favours with disarming malfeasance, and dispenses them equally mala fide. Chief Obasanjo is notorious for never proving any allegation he makes, and is in fact never interested in substantiating anything were he to be deliberately and violently prodded. The country has unfortunately embraced the same notoriety, against which Alhaji Atiku will constantly come a cropper. And given the military and political exigencies of the moment, it is doubtful whether the easy-going affirmation of Alhaji Atiku, his self-assuredness, his accessibility and consensual politics, and his talent for head-hunting excellent technocrats will avail much or persuade the electorate to give him a chance.

    Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano State holds a lot of promise both as a thinker and as an administrator. In Kano he has provided the state a safe pair of very steady hands, and has handled governance with the care, trust and even-handedness the constitution quintessentially envisages. He has rebuffed the xenophobia rage that lathers many parts of Nigeria, and promoted the kind of ethnic amity Nigerians have always dreamt of, and a commercial city like Kano cannot do without. But Kano has been to Governor Kwankwaso a cocoon, from which he had before his presidential race seldom ventured. His visage and inner qualities show him quite capable of ruling a complex society like Nigeria, but running a presidential race, let alone winning it, requires long preparation, venturing out to other parts of the country, and staying evocatively and munificently in public glare.

    I am afraid I am not persuaded that either of the remaining two aspirants, to wit, the intrepid publisher Sam Nda-Isaiah and Governor Rochas Okorocha, is actually serious or prepared for the race; nor is it clear they can muster enough goodwill to run a race against such an implacable foe as President Goodluck Jonathan, or whether they have the calibre to trigger excitement and emotions in Nigerians seeking romantically for knights and miracles against the unrelenting harassment by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Mr Nda-Isaiah is young, energetic and a gifted columnist. But as his columns indicate, he is also impatient, and often acerbic and cocksure of everything. Owelle Okorocha is eloquent, empathetic but sometimes grandiloquent. But either as governor or presidential aspirant, he is often detached and distracted, quite unable sometimes to match input with output, his modest talents with the lofty goals and accomplishments of his boyish dreams.

    The APC presidential primary will in my opinion revolve around the challenges Nigeria is facing. The economy is not yet in a tailspin, but it is nearly spinning out of control, its managers lacking in the requisite initiative and discipline to rein it in. Insecurity is rife in all parts of the country, with emphasis on the insurgency in the Northeast. If it persist for much longer, there is no certainty the entire country will not be engulfed. Nigeria is at the moment truly distressed, buffeted on all sides by political rancour, socio-economic paralysis and decay, deliberate attacks on the constitution and civil liberties by the government and secret service, and wearied by a terrible feeling of ennui that has lingered for more than four or five years. Few doubt the incapacity of the Jonathan presidency to grapple with these monumental problems, and no one doubts his government’s absolute lack of discipline, motivation and ambition. Whatever doubts exist concern the ability of the APC to give us a candidate able to provide effective leadership at this trying moment. The PDP has offered Dr Jonathan, and he is absolutely feckless.

    Perhaps in quieter times, the talents of Alhaji Atiku, Governor Kwankwaso, Mr Nda-Isaiah and Owelle Okocha would recommend them suitably for the presidency. But at this time of pressing danger and mortal threat to national security, the electorate and the APC would be disposed to someone with a safe pair of hands than the dreamy and distracted Dr Jonathan has offered or is ever able to offer. It seems to me that the only man in the APC able to subdue the threats of the moment is the inflexible and emotionless general from Daura. He has been head of state once, and he has had the experience of many battles from which he never flinched. He has expressed his readiness, even covets the chance, to lead once again and re-establish order in this increasingly fissiparous country. The APC will give him the ticket, for he seems both prepared to do battle, and he appears the only one among the five aspirants able to face Dr Jonathan implacability for implacability, toe-to-toe, head-to-head, and if necessary, malice for malice.

    The APC is not unduly finicky to worry that a Buhari presidency could become intractably distant from constitutional reality, a sentiment the country itself has expressed many times given the general’s antecedents. But if they desire to win the election, and if the country hankers after order and discipline without which development cannot take place, their best bet will be the retired army general. He often seems too set in his ways, surrounds himself with a coterie of often hawkish and insular officials and technocrats, and some of his ideas hark back to distant times and eras. But the party will assume the confidence to mould him and reorient him, and as a disciplined officer and leader, he will constantly remind himself of the supremacy of the constitution. These sentiments will be shared by the country, for the alternative is too grim to contemplate, an alternative replete with Jonathan induced failures, paralysis, indiscipline, mismanagement, cowardice, poor judgement, gaffes, unfathomable avarice, arrogance, nepotism and parochialism.

    I think the choice before the APC is clear. They will have a few misgivings about the stubborn general, but the know which side their bread is buttered. As for the country in February 2015, it is presumed they understand they have reached a fork in the road, where the wrong turn will unleash catastrophic consequences. Unlike the APC which is expected to choose right in their presidential primary this week, the country may still entertain the view that it has the luxuries of time and choice. I don’t think they do. Indulgent and hardhearted as they may seem, they will probably, at the last moment, step back from the brink.

  • APC clears Buhari, Atiku, others for presidential primaries

    APC clears Buhari, Atiku, others for presidential primaries

    The Presidential Screening Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has cleared former Head of State, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari and Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to contest the December 10 the party’s presidential primaries slated for December 10 in Lagos.

    Also cleared are Kano State governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, his Imo State counterpart, Owelle Rochas Okorocha and the Publisher of Leadership Newspaper, Sam Nda-Isaiah.

    Before their clearance, the five aspirants were made to sign an undertaking not to decamp to any other party if they failed to get the party ticket and to support whoever emerges as candidate at the end of the primaries.

    Speaking before presenting clearance certificates to the five aspirants who were screened on Tuesday, the Committee Chairman and former National Chairman of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Chief Ogbonnaya Onu, said the time has come when Nigerians must make a decision whether to continue with the present state of affairs in the country or effect a change for the better.

    Onu said the problems of Nigeria has persisted not because they are insurmountable, but because the nation has not found the right leadership, pointing out that the APC was formed to fill the vacuum and provide the leadership required for the nation to grow.

    He said: “This committee would want to appeal to Nigerians that the time has come for our country to take a stand. There is a choice before us. Are we going to continue the way we have been going in the last 16 years when our security forces are used to intimidate and harass the very citizens who pay for their maintenance?

    “Are we going to continue a situation where we are the sixth largest exporters of crude oil and yet we import virtually all the petroleum products that we use and as we do this, we are exporting jobs and rendering our people unemployed? Is this what Nigerians would want to do?

    “Are we going to allow a situation where the rule of law is violated and there is no orderliness whatsoever? This is a choice for Nigerians. The ruling party has had 16 years and so, it is not a question of making promises. We are judging them on their records because they told us that within two years, there will be regular and reliable supply of power for 24 hours a day and seven days a week. This is the 16th year and that promise has not been fulfilled.

    “So, Nigerians have a choice to make because when you have two things, you can never know until you try them. So, Nigerians ought to try the APC and give us a chance to show that the problems in the country can be solved.”

     

  • APC presidential primary: Panel screens Buhari, Atiku, others

    APC presidential primary: Panel screens Buhari, Atiku, others

    THE All Progressives Congress (APC) has begun the screening of its presidential aspirants ahead of its December 10 primary.

    Those screened by the committee, headed by the former All Nigeria Peoples Party’s National Chairman, Chief Ogbonnaya Onu, were Publisher of Leadership, Sam Nda-Isaiah; Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso; Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha; former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Head of State Gen. Muhammadu Buhari.

    Onu, who addressed reporters before the screening, said the committee would put the party’s and the country’s constitution as well as the 2010 Electoral Act into consideration in arriving at its decision.

    He said any of the aspirants, who failed to confirm with the relevant section of the party’s and the country’s constitution and the Electoral Act, would be disqualified from the race.

    The party chieftain said: “We will be doing something that is novel in this country, because we really want to effect change. We want to produce a candidate that will effect the change; a candidate that will be able to address the problems confronting our nation.

    “So, in screening our aspirants, we will attach much importance to the manifesto of the party. We will sensitise the aspirants on the urgent need of the areas of security, the economy, job creation, foreign policy and corruption.

    “We believe that those who will be successful in this exercise will now be presented to our national convention that will be coming in the next few days and a candidate will emerge from there.

    “It is only those we deem qualified that will emerge successful at the end of the exercise. By tomorrow, we will present certificates to those who scaled through the exercise.”

    Onu explained that the committee would extract some commitment from the aspirants to accept the outcome of the convention and work in harmony with whoever emerged as the party’s candidate.

    His words: “All aspirants will commit themselves to adhere strictly to the manifesto of the party should they become candidate and eventually, by the will of God, become president-elect and President of Nigeria. We as a party are not happy with the way the nation has be governed in the last 16 years.

    “Nigerians want change; the APC was formed to effect that change and we believe that whosoever becomes our candidate and wins to become president must abide by our manifesto so that Nigerians will know that really, there has been a change.”

    “The time has come for another party to be tried so that if it doesn’t do well, you can change it. We believe that if the APC comes on board, we will do well so that we can stay for a long time. I think this is something that all Nigerians must do for the good of our country.

    “The constitution stipulates the qualification for someone to stand for election and the party has its own qualification. If you don’t meet that of the party and of the nation, you will stand disqualified.

    “If the committee decides that any aspirant is not qualified, such an aspirant has the right to appeal to the National Working Committee.”