2019 ELECTION: APC NEC ‘silent’ on Buhari’s chances as flag bearer

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on Tuesday failed to adopt a clandestine move to endorse an automatic ticket for President Muhammadu Buhari as the party’s flag bearer for the 2019 presidential elections.

This was at the party’s National Executive Council (NEC) Meeting which held in Abuja, having in attendance, governors and lawmakers of the party, as well as other top members of the ruling party.

The NEC is the second highest decision making body of the party.

In the course of the crowded meeting, someone had shouted out, moving a motion that Buhari be endorsed for an automatic ticket for 2019, but the call was ignored by the party members.

The NEC however, passed a vote of confidence on the President as well as the Chief John Odigie-Oyegun-led National Working Committee (NWC) saying both men had done well.

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Giving reasons for not taking the call to endorse Buhari, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara told newsmen that the issue was not slated as part of the agenda of the meeting.

“Today’s meeting was not about 2019 elections. When we talk about 2019 in the context of the agenda you saw, we are talking about membership registration, the drive for membership and others.

‘’We are not talking about elections. Even though there was a motion on the floor that called for a vote of confidence on the President, some of us felt it was not necessary because there is nowhere that his confidence is shaking. But the motion was taken and passed.

“But there was a second leg to that motion which called for the adoption of the candidature of the President, but it was deferred for now and no decision was taken because that is not the major reason we were here,” he said.

The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Bolaji Abdullahi, also explained to newsmen, that the motion for a second term endorsement was informally moved by an ‘anonymous’ member of NEC.

According to him, “The motion that was put was after the Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh, had briefed NEC about activities and achievements of his ministry. One of the NEC members said we should move a motion passing a vote of confidence on Mr. President.

‘’There was no formal motion moved on the issue of second term for Mr. President. Somebody in the crowd shouted that we should move a motion and we don’t even know that member.

“But the motion that was formally moved was that NEC should pass a vote of confidence on Mr. President and that was after the brief given by the Minister of Agriculture, especially when he said that by 2018, Nigeria will have no need to import a single grain of rice. That is the context and I need you to understand that very well.”

He stated that the meeting discussed what it would do in 2018, “especially the issue of convention. It was agreed that since we have all these activities lined up, including the mini-convention, congresses and elective convention, a small team be set up to put dates to these party activities up to 2018.

‘’There was no discussion about election of 2019 or who will be the party flag bearer. The committee will decide when all these activities will take place,” he said.

On the national convention, Dogara said: “There was paper on the line of activities that the party is meant to embark upon. There wasn’t a definitive and conclusive date on the party convention because it is something in the works and judging from yesterday’s (Monday) meeting, I understand that the party will fine-tune this and then there will be another round of meeting where the specifics and details will be approved.”

This came against the backdrop of comments on the sidelines by a number of the governors who rooted for automatic ticket for the president in the 2019 presidential election.

But commenting on the issue, the Nasarawa State governor, Umar Tanko Al-Makura, said “The tone for this meeting has been set since yesterday (Monday) when we had the caucus meeting… You see, APC as a party, epitomises democracy. For anybody to pre-empt the consensus opinion of the people is to say the least unfair to the vision of our party.

‘’I can tell you if there is anything that is clandestine, the President will not honour it, so let us wait and see. As we embark on these meetings, I believe the consensus and the preponderance of opinions of all party members will be what is good for this country, and we have already known the will of God for this country.

“The future of this country as we are now, is associated with one person who is impeccable, who has the greatest amount of integrity that you can find in any human being around, so your guess is as good as mine.”

Among those who attended the meeting were Governors Yahaya Bello (Kogi), Jibrilla Bindo (Adamawa), Godwin Obaseki (Edo), Simon Lalong (Plateau), Tanko Almakura (Nasarawa), Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun), Abdullahi Umar Ganduje (Kano), Abdulaziz Yari (Zamfara) and Nasir elRufai (Kaduna). Others include Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi), Rochas Okorocha (Imo), Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo), Mohammed Badaru Abubakar (Jigawa), Abubakar Sani Bello (Niger), Mohammed Abubakar (Bauchi), Samuel Ortom (Benue), Kashim Shettima (Borno), Aminu Waziri Tambuwal (Sokoto), Aminu Bello Masari (Katsina) and Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo).

Senators present at the meeting included Senate President, Bukola Saraki, Senate Leader, Senator Ahmed Lawan, Senate Minority Whip, Francis Alimikhena, Senators Abdullahi Adamu, Binta Masi Garba, Andy Uba, Magnus Abe, Dino Melaye, Ahmed Sani Yerima, Gbenga Ashafa and Barnabas Gemade.

From the House of Representatives came Speaker Yakubu Dogara, Deputy Speaker, Yusuf Lasun, House Leader Femi Gbajabiamila, Majority Whip, Ado Doguwa among others.

Pioneer National Chairman of the party, Chief Bisi Akande, Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbe, Federal Capital Territory FCT Minister, Mohammed Bello and Special Adviser to the Vice President on Political Matters, Sen. Femi Ojudu were also at the meeting.

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