The National Chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, yesterday said the All Progressives Congress (APC) was not aware that President Muhammadu Buhari was preparing to seek a second term in office in 2019, report according to New Telegraph says
Oyegun’s position was also confirmed by some state chairmen of the party, who insisted that they have no knowledge officially that the president was seeking a re-election.
The APC’s position came as a coalition of 36 youth groups from the North yesterday warned the president against running for re-election.
The youth vowed that they would do everything possible to stop the president from running, having not been satisfied with his performance. There were reports that Buhari had declared his interest to seek re-election in 2019 by appointing the Minister of Transport, Mr. Rotimi Ameachi, as the Director General of his Presidential Campaign Council. Oyegun, who spoke with New Telegraph at the weekend in Abuja, confirmed what the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said last week that the party has not received any communication from the president. Abdullahi had told New Telegraph that the president had not sent any official letter to the party about his re-election or his plan to contest the 2019 presidential election.
Asked to clarify that the president has not notified the party on his re-election ambition, Oyegun said: “Yes, that is true.” The APC national chairman further said that whether by declaration or writing officially to the party, the president must inform the party of his intention to seek re-election.
His words: “I don’t even know where you people are picking this information from. The president has not told the party formally, officially, that he wants to run for second term. We only read these things in the newspapers. So, officially, I’m not aware that Buhari is running again. I only read what you people write.” When asked if the president must inform the party that he is seeking re-election, Oyegun said: “Either he inform the party officially or he make a declaration or whichever, he will certainly take a decision.” Notwithstanding, Oyegun said that the party would deliver whoever its presidential candidate is in 2019 in the general elections. He said it was not in his place to talk about APC delivering President Buhari in 2019. According to him, the party would deliver whoever emerges as its presidential candidate.
Asked on what premise the ruling party would want to come back to power in 2019, the APC National Chairman said: “I can say to you with every sense of responsibility that the polity is settling down. I can say to you emphatically that the economy is recovering strongly. We are out of recession clearly and the economy is beginning to grow. I can say to you emphatically that in the critical areas that promotes development as distinct from growth, the policy of the party and the implementation are firmly grounded. “Whether you are talking of power, without which no nation can develop, it has stabilized reasonably. We still have a long way to go. I am not saying the problem has been solved. The commitment alone on the Mambilla Power Station is a major step forward; the bringing back upstream of projects that have been abandoned has contributed to rising generation capacity to what it is today. The strengthening of the transmission facilities is on-going.
That is the back bone that delivers any power that you can generate to the distribution centres. “What is important and what this Buhari administration has achieved is that it has stabilized the situation; it has started the process of substantial growth in power generation. It has substantially firmed up the capacity to transmit and a lot of work is going on in the distribution network. “A nation without a functional rail system is only making pretences at development. It is the rail transportation that is the backbone of meaningful industrialisation. Here again, the Buhari administration has taken giant steps, not in words, but in practical terms, such that construction is already in progress in different areas of the country. “Also, a nation that cannot feed itself cannot make any pretences of being a serious nation. We are now firmly in the process of being able to feed ourselves in the critical grains and critical crops that form the bedrock of our people’s diet.
“So, the picture I am trying to paint is that the new foundation for growth of this nation is in place and it is being improved on a daily basis. The greatness and future of this nation is going to be built on agriculture; it is going to be built on our transportation; it is going to be built on our ability to deliver power. In fact, once we can solve substantially, the problem of power, the crisis of employment will begin to disappear.” Oyegun’s position was corroborated by the chairmen of APC in Oyo and Kwara states. The APC Chairman in Oyo State, Chief Akin Oke, who spoke through the party’s Public Relations Officer, Wale Sadare, said that the party has not received any information that the president is running. Oke said: “Oyo APC does not exist in isolation. We have national leadership, which we rely upon on the issue of 2019 presidency. Since our national leadership has been found to be competent and reliable, we await directives on when to set the ball rolling to enable us better the 2015 feat and consolidate on the numerous achievements of the party both in Oyo State and at the national level.” APC state chairmen across the country are billed to meet in Abuja on Wednesday.
The chairman of the party in Kwara, Alhaji Ishola Balogun-Fulani, who confirmed the meeting, said that it was only after that meeting that anyone could talk about the second term ambition of Buhari. “Has the APC chairmen met over the matter? Have they discussed it? Wait until after our meeting on Wednesday in Abuja and then you can call me to talk about it,” he said when asked how the party would sell a Buhari candidature in Kwara. But in Kano, the coalition of youth groups asked the president to drop his ambition for the good of the nation. The Youth Coalition from the 19 states of the North, who jointly spoke to newsmen in Kano, insisted that the president’s move to seek another term in office would rather be disastrous for the Nigeria nation. Leader of the coalition, Abdulmajid Babangida Sa’Ad, said that Buhari should not listen to those pushing him to seek reelection in 2019. The northern youths said the president has failed to perform in critical sectors of the economy. They said: “We observed with dismay that three years after the current leadership came into power on May 29, 2015, Nigerians have been expressing divergent opinions about the way and manner the affairs of the country are being administered.
“With the advent of the present regime, Nigerians had persevered with all sense of patience and maturity to give President Buhari’s administration the benefit of doubt to put in place all necessary socio- political and economic mechanisms, which are strong ingredients needed to harness positive dividends of democracy as well as all-inclusive democratic governance, but to no avail.” The coalition further said that it was dismayed by the poor standard of education, despite government’s campaign promises on improving its standard; poor healthcare service delivery, corruption and the massive deterioration in the standard of living. The group added: “Injustice, insecurity and high level of impunity has become a recurring decimal.
There is mass increase in youth unemployment, which engendered social vices in the society. “In the light of the above parameters, we strongly oppose in strong terms the purported second term bid of President Buhari come 2019 general election. “The Coalition, out of patriotism and zeal for purposeful drive to prosperity, push to ask Mr. President to honourably shun any call by sycophants and mis-chievous politicians, who are bent on continued selfego, which is detrimental to the diverse interest of the teaming populace.” Some of the groups are National Movement for Good Governance (NAMOG), Youth Global Vision for Peace in Africa (YGV), Christian and Muslim Youth Foundation for Peace and Unity (CMYFPU), Partners For Good Governance (PGG), All Youth Association of Nigeria (AYAN), The Almajiri Welfare and Development Association (TAWADA), Northwest Unity for Development (NUD) and Kano Mandate Group (KMG). Others are Sawaba Youth Forum (SAWABAYF), Youth United Alliance Forum (YJA), Zumuntar Matasa Association (ZUMTA), Northern Movement for Save Nigeria (NOMS), Kano Development Initiative (KDI), Arewa Patriotic Youth Forum (APYF), Northern Youth Traders Association (NYTA) and Northern Revival Forum (NRF), among others.
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