Chieftains of the All Progressive Congress (APC) former Head of State, Major General Muhammadu Buhari and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar have both declared to contest for the 2015 Presidential elections.
Abubakar welcomed Buhari’s intentions saying that they both share common concerns in taking Nigeria to greater heights.
A chieftain of the APC and close associate of Buhari, Mr Osita Okechukwu has canvassed for a consensus deal between the two leading aspirants, Abubakar and buhari calling on the former Vice-President to consider yielding grounds for the emergence of Buhari as APC presidential candidate.
In a statement issued on Friday, October 3, 2014, Okechukwu said Atiku had shown that he truly shared the same interest as Buhari in seeing that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) was shown the way out office next February, adding that he should go a step further by accepting to support the candidature of the former Head state under a consensus agreement to make that dream realisable.
The statement reads in part:
“I am making this passionate appeal on many grounds, one the bitterness, rancour and ill temper which a gruesome monetised primary will most likely generate ; will definitely scuttle the earnest yearning for regime change”, he said.
“Secondly, is it not better to harvest the celestial bond between Buhari and Nigerian masses and the middle class, a bond which made it possible for him to garner over 12 million votes in 2011 presidential election?
“Thirdly, Buhari no doubt is better equipped more than any of our eminent presidential aspirants to prosecute the 1st Cardinal Program of APC – war against corruption and national re-orientation, given his antecedents in public service.
“Accordingly, let’s all join hands through consensual arrangement as stipulated in Article 20 of APC Constitution and Section 87(6) of the Electoral Act, as amended and give unalloyed support to Buhari; instead of flexing financial muscle via indirect primary. More so when PDP that boasted to rule Nigeria for 60 years uninterrupted, is resorting to its old game plan of Do-or-Die tactics”, he contended.
In another development, contrary to the parties earlier decision to employ modified direct primaries in the selection its candidates for the 2015 general elections, APC has adopted the delegate system which will have only about 15,000 delegates to elect the presidential candidate.
