A political
interest group within the All Progressives Congress (APC) operating with the
name, the APC Southern Mandate, has expressed concern over a plot by the
party’s National Chairman, Chief John Oyegun and some other members of the
national leadership to foist a presidential candidate on the party.
APC Southern
Mandates, which comprises the chairmen and secretaries of defunct Congress for
Progressives Change (CPC) in the 17 southern states, held series of meeting at
the weekend in Abuja and Edo State respectively, saying it would soon stage a
national protest to demand for his sack over his bias to a presidential
aspirant at the expense of others.
One of the
leaders of the group and an aide to the Edo State Governor, who preferred
anonymity, spoke to some journalists in Abuja, alleging a plot by the party
chairman and other national executive members towards the adoption of former
military Head of State, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) as the party’s
sole candidate for the presidential race in 2015.
According to him, such action would spell doom for the party in the 2015 elections.
According to him, such action would spell doom for the party in the 2015 elections.
He said the
group had reached an agreement to support a younger presidential aspirant,
Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, instead of Buhari.
“Our 2011
experience has shown that Buhari is not a good product we can market in the
southern states, the few elite backing him do not have followers anywhere in
the South.
“We have
successfully secure leaders of all the legacy parties in the South, even
leaders of ACN are already buying our idea. We are going to do everything
possible to scuttle Buhari’s ambition this time around,” he said.
Oyegun had,
while addressing journalists after the last National Executive Committee (NEC)
of the party in Abuja, said the APC was ready for more presidential
aspirants, assuring that the leadership would be neutral.
However,
THISDAY tried sunday to reach out to the APC National Chairman to get his
reaction through telephone calls and text messages but could not get a reply as
at was time.
But the
National Publicity Secretary of the party, Alhaji Lai Muhammed, said
there was no iota of truth in the group’s accusation, describing it as cheap
blackmail.
“The
allegations are cheap. There is no iota of truth in that allegation, I can
assure you,” he said.
Meanwhile, another group drumming support for the former Head of State, known as The Buhari Vanguard, has issued a statement urging the party leadership to adopt the consensus option in picking the party’s presidential flag-bearer.
Meanwhile, another group drumming support for the former Head of State, known as The Buhari Vanguard, has issued a statement urging the party leadership to adopt the consensus option in picking the party’s presidential flag-bearer.
The Buhari
Vanguard in a statement by the its Chairman, Jasper Azuatalam, said the APC
constitution and other relevant laws relating to the emergence of a
presidential candidate from a political party, had shown that consensus
remained “the most viable, cost effective and unifying option available to the
APC.”
The Buhari
supporters believe that it would be in good faith to avoid launching into
full-scale primary election, which they said would cost so much money and even
lead to financial inducement by some who still believe in “money politics”
against credibility and popularity of the candidate.
“A
consensual arrangement as stipulated in Article 20 of APC Constitution and Section
87 (6) of the Electoral Act is surely the best option available for the APC.
This will save the APC from unnecessary litigations, rancor and strife that
accompanies presidential primaries. If the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
with all the resources available to them and the power of incumbency is working
towards a consensual arrangement by adopting Goodluck Jonathan, it will be
wholly unwise and unintelligent for an opposition political party to want to
sell the dangerous region.
“In the same
manner, an indirect primary will give the ruling political party an opportunity
to infiltrate the APC by influencing delegates with money and planting moles
within the delegates to influence who emerges as the presidential candidate of
the APC. This is because they know the candidate to beat in APC and they will
do all within their reach to make sure that such candidates do not emerge as
APC presidential candidate.
“We also
believe that the bitterness, rancor and disaffection that may arise from the
contest will weaken the APC and give the PDP an undue advantage ahead of the
2015 presidential election. It is clear from all available statistics and
parameters that the PDP has no locus in the 2015 presidential election as they
will lose woefully in a free and fair contest because of their abysmal
performance in government which has earned them the wrath of Nigerians,” it
added
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