Against some media reports on how APC governors allegedly endorsed president Muhammadu Buhari for a second term, the party has declared there is no automatic ticket for anyone come 2019.
In separate media interviews in Abuja, on Thursday, the APC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, and the Chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, said neither Buhari nor any member of the party would be given an automatic ticket.
Abdullahi said the party’s constitution did not have provisions for such.
According to him, Buhari had not indicated interest in seeking re-election, stressing that the talks about his second tenure was, at best, “presumptuous.”
“What I can assure you is that the APC will abide by the APC Constitution on such matters and our constitution does not provide for automatic ticket,” he said.
“We have looked at what our President has done and as a party we are happy with his achievements; if he comes up today to say he wants to contest, we will support him but to begin to throw things like automatic ticket, right of first refusal, they don’t exist in our constitution.”
Gov. Okorocha on Thursday also said there would be no automatic ticket for President Muhammadu Buhari to seek re-election, insisting all candidates on the party’s platform must emerge through a transparent democratic process.
“The gentleman (the President) is looking much more handsome than even before he went to hospital; he is looking stronger and so, he has every right and qualification to re-contest, there is nothing wrong at all,’ he told State House correspondents.
“If President Buhari will lead the ship in 2019, it must be democratically done, and I said, democratically done, transparently (done) to the amazement of the whole world, the way we do our things in APC and people will be happy.”
Amongst the governors rooting for a Buhari automatic ticket is Plateau Gov. Simon Lalong, who claimed that all the governors had agreed to work towards the president’s re-election in 2019.
“Concerning the issue of sole ticket for Mr. President, I want to say that if Mr. President is performing, well respected and carrying everybody along, all of us have resolved that we will work for him,” he said.
“Do we have any other person that will challenge the President again? Whatever you call it, as far as we are concerned, we have one President and that is the ticket we will fly.”
Kebbi Gov. Atiku Bagudu also said the performance of the president in the last two and half years suggests that if Buhari wants to contest, he will certainly support him and that party members feel the same about him.
Okorocha, however, is among those working hard to sell Buhari to the southeast. Which might not be unconnected to 2019.
He disclosed that the President’s trip would soon start from Ebonyi State.
According to him, the region was not measuring up to standard in the APC. But strategies are now in place to improve relationship between the people of the Igbo and the APC government.
“That was top on the agenda and the need for Mr. President to come to the south-east as quickly as possible to begin to show his presence,” he said. “Luckily, the President will be coming to Ebonyi State very soon and he will pass through Imo State to Anambra State.
“So, covering three states within this short time will be the right step in the right direction because we have come to realise in the South-East that we are better off in APC than any other party in the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” the governor.
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