Gen Muhammadu Buhari
Former Head of State, Muhammadu Buhari, has said that he can only change his mind on contesting the 2015 presidential election, if a better candidate is presented by the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Buhari, who has contested for the nation’s number one seat in the last three presidential elections, added that if he eventually withdraws his candidacy, that would be for the survival of the alliance and the respect he has for the other opposition parties in the APC.
The national leader of the Congress for Progressive Change,CPC, made this known while fielding questions from newsmen after the maiden edition of Sam Nda-Isaiah Lecture series on the theme, ‘The Role of Youth in Sustaining Democratic Values’, at the Idris Legbo Kutigi International Conference Centre, Minna, the Niger State capital.
When asked if he could step down for another candidate, Buhari said he was ready to do so, so long as the individual is better than him.
“Whoever thinks he has got a chance, let him come out because the more we are the merrier it becomes”.
“I will be ready to step down if there is a formidable and better candidate. It is not about me, but for the survival of the party. APC is about ensuring internal democracy, whoever emerges is the person I will support. Yes, I will be ready to step down.”
On his part, former Governor of Kano state, Ibrahim Shekarau, opined that “It is too early to talk about or to have a Presidential candidate. In APC we will have internal democracy that will guide the party.”
“Let us have the party on ground first, congresses will be held at various levels that will produce our candidates. At that point anybody can contest and the party will support the best candidate that emerged,” he said.
He assured that as soon as all the merging parties are through with their national conventions, formal requests will be made to the Independent National Electoral Commission ,INEC, for the registration of APC.
Sounding optimistic about the chances of the mega party in defeating the ruling Peoples Democratic Party,PDP, the All Nigeria Peoples Party,ANPP, presidential candidate in the 2011 poll siad “We are not talking of just dismantling the PDP, we want change. We are not just talking about change in democracy, but change in general attitude, change in approach, change in character, change in conducting businesses of government.”
“That’s why our slogan is ‘change’. We are determined to change Nigeria for the better,” Shekarau stressed.
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