How our presidential candidate will be determined –APC

Amidst controversies in the All Progressives Congress (APC) over President Muhammadu Buhari getting an automatic ticket as the presidential candidate of the party in 2019, the APC has said that its constitution will provide answers to that.

Although the party chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun, has maintained that Buhari will become the automatic candidate of the party if he decides to run as he will be given the choice of first refusal, some members of the party seem not to buy the idea.

The Minister of Women Affairs, Aisha Alhassan, had noted that in a situation President Buhari decides to run and a former vice president, Atiku Abubakar also decides to run for the office of the president in 2019 that she will support Atiku against her principal.

Recently a former interim chairman of the party, Bisi Akande, hinted that the party’s presidential ticket for the 2019 election was still open.

However, in the midst of all these, Bauchi State Governor Mohammed Abubakar, speaking to newsmen soon after APC National Working Committee (NWC) meeting with state governors and principal officers of the National Assembly, at the party’s national secretariat on Wednesday, said that the party constitution has an answer to the puzzle of who becomes its presidential candidate.

Flanked by the party’s national publicity secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, and the Senate Majority Leader, Ahmed Lawan, Abubakar spoke on the issue bothering on the party’s presidential ticket being open to all or restricted to Buhari.

Abubakar said, “This meeting has not deliberated on that but the APC has a constitution and that is one of the items that was discussed – the amendment to the constitution of the APC in order to faithfully hold the convention in line with democratic principles, and we will abide by the provisions of our constitution.

“Article 20 (iii) of the APC Constitution 2014 stipulates that nomination of candidates for (f) President shall be through direct or indirect primary election to be conducted at the appropriate level.”

Meanwhile, the APC national chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun, has applauded Imo State Governors Rochas Okorocha for his birthday celebration and erecting of South African’s President Jacob Zuma statue said to have gulped about N520 million in Owerri, the Imo State capital.

Odigie-Oyegun made the commendation during the APC NWC meeting with its 24 state governors and principal officers of the National Assembly on Wednesday.

He said, “Let me use this opportunity to congratulate you (Rochas) on your birthday…young man, where I was very powerfully represented and for your feat in bringing some of the significant figures from the African continent.”

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