WAR IN APC HOME: Trouble As APC Plans Automatic Ticket For Buhari
The quest being made by the Buhari Group to make General Muhammadu
Buhari, the consensus candidate for the opposition, All Progressives
Congress (APC) appears to be generating controversy after overcoming the
Muslim-Muslim presidential candidate as the camps of other aspirants
are kicking against it.
A senior member of the party told journalists at the weekend that the
manoeuvres by certain APC forces to make former military ruler the
party’s presidential candidate of the party for the 2015 presidential
poll without going through an election is not going down well with the
supporters of Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, Senator Bukola Sraki and Atiku
Abubakar camps.
According to this informed APC insider, who didn’t want to be named,
because he had no authority to speak, however, admitted that any attempt
to impose Buhari on the party as the presidential candidate would
destroy the foundation and the credibility of the APC.
The informed insider said they were particularly disturbed by signals
coming from the Buhari camp who insist that the emergence of Buhari as a
candidate “is a settled matter.”
But in a swift reaction, a political ally to General Buhari has
clarified their agitation that it was as consensus they are asking for
not automatic ticket.
The controversy began by General Buhari, when, in an interview with
Rariya, (an Hausa newspaper) and was culled by Premium Times and
People’s Daily, where he publicly disagreed with the modified open
direct primaries which has been adopted by the APC.
That position was expanded upon by the spokesman of the Buhari
Organization (TBO), Osita Okechuku who said: “Given all the indices, APC
already has a de facto presidential candidate in the person of Gen.
Muhammadu Buhari (rtd.). If you go through the constitution of APC,
under Article 20, it says for nomination of candidate either for party
offices or presidential election, you first explore consensus. If an
agreement is reached through consensus, it has to be affirmed. If we go
through that method, though we have a lot of good quality people in APC,
I do not know of any person who the leadership of APC would tell Buhari
to step down for.”
Taking it from there, the former FCT Minister, Malam Nasir El-Rufa’i
has used his twitter handle “to take this rubbish to the social media,”
our source further revealed.
The source explained that such a phrase smirks of arrogance and disrespect for other democratic voices in the party.
According to this insider, disregarding democratic process in the
choice of party presidential flag-bearer could drag APC into deep “and
possibly irreparable political damage.”
He explained that the idea of “automatic adoption” of Buhari or any
other aspirant for that matter is undemocratic and would be resisted.”
The APC source warned that party members should not be reduced to
“slaves and sheepishly expected to sign on the dotted lines when
confronted with the nauseating idea of automatic ticket.”
The APC insider said those scheming for “automatic ticket” for Buhari
“are probably PDP fifth columnists who want to drive a nail into the
APC coffin.”
He explained that APC is bigger than individual members and that its
credibility and commitment to democratic values must not be sacrificed
on the altar of satisfying anybody’s stubborn ambition.”
The APC source also said that at no time was any decision taken by
the party leadership to give anybody automatic presidential ticket for
the 2015 presidential ticket.
He noted that the success of the modified open direct primaries for
choosing its governorship candidate in Adamawa for the October 11
election has given confidence to the party leadership that it is a
preferred option for choosing its candidates for the 2015 elections.
It would be recalled that when the former five PDP Governors and Vice
President were individually visited and advised to join the new party,
each was assured that this was a free and fair territory.
“In fact the registration of the party members was the mark-off point
for a new beginning, conferring equal membership on all party members.
Where is this idea of “divine right to rule” by Buhari coming from?” he
queried.
He advised the party leadership to come out openly to issue
clarifications about the process to be adopted to produce the APC’s
presidential candidate for the 2015 elections.
But speaking with our correspondent on Sunday, a member of the
National Working Committee (NWC) who begs for anonymity because of his
position said, what they are asking for is withion the principles of
democracy.
“What we are asking for Buhari is not automatic ticket but making him
our consensus candidate and this is within the law. The Electoral Act
allowed it and recently, some PDP leaders gathered at Owerri and were
asking the party to make President Goodluck Jonathan the consensus
candidate. What we like is to honour Buhari by making him the consensus
candidate. We see nothing wrong in it. Those who are making noise about
it are not being sincere.”
