Our Reporter, Abuja
The All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday declared that it would be difficult for it to win the presidential election next year with a southern presidential candidate.
A member of the Board of Trustees of the party, Amb. Sam Nkire, who led members of the National Assembly to collect the Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms for the Senate President, Senator Ahmed Lawan in Abuja, stated this.
According to him, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was pushing them to consider a northern presidential candidate after President Muhammadu Buhari.
Asked why they were collecting forms for the Senate President even when the party seems to have zoned the ticket to the South, Nkire said, “Let me tell you, you are a journalist not a politician. Every politician is in politics to win. It is PDP that is driving us to do this. We have to say so. But we don’t want PDP to take the government from us. If you give the position to a Southerner and PDP gives to a Northerner, APC will go into the wilderness, and we are not ready to go into the wilderness.”
It would be recalled that the chairman of the Southern Governors, Rotimi Akeredolu had insisted that the presidency must come to the South after President Buhari.
Speaking about their presence at the International Conference Centre, he said “We are here, as you can see beside and behind me are senators, businessmen and politicians who are members of the All Progressives Congress and some other Nigerians who want a new president.
Asked who the new President is and why they want him he said, “Alhaji Ahmed Lawan, current President of the Senate of Nigeria.
“We want him for national stability, as a president for the Nigerian people, not an Igbo president, not a Fulani president, not a Yoruba president, but a Nigerian president who we have watched and saw that there would be no other candidate that will be so level-headed and someone who has the feeling of the poor Nigerians.”
On whether the Senate President has agreed to their call, Nkire said, “We are not here on our own, we have his backing. Even though friends and brothers contributed to purchase this form for him, but he has given us the go ahead.”
Meanwhile the governor of Nasarawa State Engr. Abdullahi Sule has returned his nomination forms.
According to him, the Forms were bought for him by the people.
Speaking to journalists, he said, “To me it is a very exciting moment; more exciting thing for me personally because this form that I just submitted was purchased for me by the common people in Nasarawa State coming together to raise N1000, N500, N2000. They were ready to raise the funds to buy this form for me. So, that is what is exciting for me and the submission of this form.”
While speaking on the number of the presidential aspirants of the party, the Governor said, “I think the more people that are showing interest the more it is proving to the world how exciting the party is. Whatever that is good would attract people. There are so many other parties that don’t even have anybody that is purchasing form apart from the two political parties we have. In fact, if you have one thousand people who are showing interest, it clearly shows that at the end of the day we will select the best. So, it is not everyone that bought a form that is going to be seen as anything serious. And I think the more the merrier that are showing interest to buy our form which is the most expensive. So, at the end what you are saying is that we are the party to beat, we are the party of excitement, we are the party of attraction that is the reason why you are seeing that.”
The Governor also clarified his position in viral video where he said he was going to do one term.
“I never said that I’m coming out for one term. And let me use the opportunity to clarify that. What happened was that the same opposition people that are showing interest actually sent someone to ask me that what will be my reaction about people who are calling me ‘one term’ and I said to them if God Almighty makes it one term I, Abdullahi Sule, would be more than happy to spend my one term and go back. So, what they did was to pick it exactly where I said to start my one term because they are afraid. They shouldn’t be afraid of Abdullahi Sule, they should come and make it one term. It is not too late. They should come and beat me at the polls and make it the one term.”
