President Muhammadu Buhari has announced his intention to contest the 2019
Presidential election.
The president made the disclosure at the All Progressive Congress, APC,
National Executive Committee, NEC, meeting in Abuja. The Kaduna state
governor Mallam El Rufai, in jubilation went to twitter to also make the
announcement.
Bashir Ahmad, the Personal Assistant to the President on New Media also
twitted the President’s decision saying “It is official#PMBForNigeria
2019.”
President Buhari’s declaration has now laid to rest all speculations
surrounding his political future.
At the APC NEC meeting before his planned trip to the United Kingdom,
Buhari said:
“I want to specifically thank members of the technical committee for a job
well done within a limited time frame. It shows the essence of commitment
and the ideals of our party with a view to consolidating the party to
continue to provide good governance in the overall interest of Nigerians.
“The general interest of the party and based in the report submitted by
the technical committee, it is important to focus on how to move the party
forward by avoiding actions detrimental to the interest of the party.
“Considering that politics is a game of numbers, we must not be a house
divided against itself and must try to appreciate and accommodate our
differences as far as the law permits.
“Having seen the report, my position is to ensure that the party tows the
part of unity, legality, cohesion and not that of division. Therefore, I
am stressing that we strengthen our internal democracy by organizing party
congresses and convention where election of national executive committee
members will be held. This will automatically end the cases filed by
members seeking orders of court compiling the party to hold its
congresses.
“I also believe that the current executives should be free to run for
elective position in the party if they so wish and permitted by our party
constitution.
“However, considering the provision of Articlr 30 Section 1 and Subsection
3 of our party constitution which requires any serving officer desirous
seeking re-election to resign from office 30 days before the election, I’m
not sure of the practicality of the present servings officers ability to
meet this condition.
“Accordingly, the party may consider granting waivers to party executives
at all levels so that they are not disenfranchised in participating in the
elections provided this does not violate our rights or our rules.
“Necessary waivers should also be extended to executives at the ward level
whose tenures May have elapsed and indeed to anyone knocking on our doors
from other parties.
“This gives credence to the right to freedom of association guaranteed by
the 1999 constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria as amended. In
this circumstance, the party should issue a statement on the above waivers
so that our house maybe full. We all must not be ignorant of the tomes and
the journey that is ahead of us.
“Just like our party symbols the broom, we stand by strength in unity. Let
us try to be united in party, victory is sure by the grace of God. And
together, we must continue to to sanitize Nigeria’s Political environment.
“I welcome you to this meeting with the hope that in our deliberations, we
will conduct ourselves without rancour, and promote the highest interest
of our party and the nation, he concluded.
President Muhammadu Buhari told members of his party before he was first
elected that he would only seek one term, implying he did not intend at
that time to run in 2019, said Aisha Alhassan, minister of women’s
affairs last year.
The issue has heightened uncertainty over whether Buhari plans to contest
the next election. President Buhari took power in 2015 but was absent for
much of 2017 due to illness.
Like his predecessor, Buhari also faces questions over his handling of
security problems as election draws near.