President Muhammadu Buhari has explained the qualities the flagbearer of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 presidential election must possess.
Buhari, who said this during his meeting with the 23 APC governors at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, advised the party to think of the right candidate who possessed the qualities he outlined.
REPORTERS AT LARGE recalls that the Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, in an interview on a Channels Television programme, Politics Today, the President said he did not disclose his preferred aspirant but outlined qualities the APC presidential candidate must have.
The President had in an interview with Channels Television in January, said he had a preferred presidential candidate, but he would not reveal him. Also, his media aide, Mr Femi Adesina, in an interview with Channels Television on May 12, stated, “In a previous interview when the President was asked whether he had a favourite candidate, he answered yes, but he would not mention him because mischief might happen to that person.”
Although the President had kept his preferred aspirant to himself, contestants, including the Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo; the APC national leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; and the Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi, informed him of their intention to contest the presidency.
Besides the three chieftains, others vying for the party’s presidential ticket include a former minister of transportation, Rotimi Amaechi; a former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio; former Minister of science, technology, and innovation, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu; a former Imo State governor, Senator Rochas Okorocha; and former Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun.
Others are Pastor Tunde Bakare, the Cross River State Governor, Prof Ben Ayade; his Ekiti State counterpart, Dr Kayode Fayemi, an ex-Minister of State, Education, Emeka Nwajiuba; former President of the Senate, Senator Ken Nnamani; Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello; Jigawa State Governor, Mohammed Badaru; and former Zamfara State governor, Senator Ahmed Yerima.
Also on the list are Senator Ajayi Borroffice, the only female aspirant; B. Uju Kennedy Ohanenye; Pastor Nicholas Felix Nwagbo; former Speaker of the House of Representatives Dimeji Bankole; President of the Senate, Dr Ahmed Lawal; former Minister of Information, Chief Ikeobasi Mokelu and Mr Tein Jack Ric.
After two postponements, the ruling party began the screening of its presidential aspirants on Monday when aspirants, including Tinubu, Umahi, Nwajiuba, Ondo-North lawmaker Boroffice, Bakare, and Ohanenye, were screened by a committee headed by a former National Chairman of the party, Chief John Odige-Oyegun.
Addressing the governors on Tuesday ahead of the party’s presidential primary taking place on Monday, Buhari stated, “The party has successfully established internal policies that promote continuity and smooth succession plans even at the state and local government levels.
“For example, first-term governors who have served credibly well have been encouraged to stand for re-election. Similarly, second-term governors have been accorded the privilege of promoting successors who are capable of driving their visions as well as the ideals of the party,” the President stated.
Buhari said he would be seeking reciprocity from the governors ahead of the presidential primary, which comes up in the next six days.
“In keeping with the established internal policies of the party and as we approach the convention in a few days, therefore, I wish to solicit the reciprocity and support of the governors and other stakeholders in picking my successor, who would fly the flag of our party for election into the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2023,” the President added.
He asked the governors to ensure that all interests ‘converge’ as regards the outcome of the presidential primary. The President added that the person who emerges as the presidential candidate must be one who can give Nigerians a sense of victory even before the polls.
Buhari stated, “As we approach the convention, I appeal to all of you to allow our interests to converge and our focus to remain on the changing dynamics of our environment, the expectations of our citizens and the global community.
“Our objective must be the victory of our party, and our choice of a candidate must be someone who would give the Nigerian masses a sense of victory and confidence even before the elections.”
