President Buhari Breaks Silence On National Convention

The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has intervened in the crises rocking the APC against the upcoming 2023 elections. The National Convention of APC has been suspended for several times and this had caused panic – with opposing party, PDP mocking the ruling party over lack of coordination and vision.

However, according to a statement from the presidency, the national convention is fixed to hold on March 26.

The statement reads:

“Look at the once-powerful, main opposition Peoples Democratic Party now enfeebled and adrift and learn lessons in disunity, mismanagement and corruption.”

“Yes, we are entitled to our own share of dissent and intra-party discord. These are common in all parties, left and right all over the world.

“But parties splintered by competing egos destine themselves to the worst possible fate.

“As the country prepares for the long run-up to the 2023 presidential election, we all expect a robust debate on the issues that matter and what is going in the APC should be a reflection of this, not the infighting we are seeing. There must be no more distractions ahead of the convention to choose new leaders.”

The president also boast of his party influence and was confident that winning is sure.

Muhammadu Buhari said, “This is a party that has been in existence barely for eight years, becoming the dominant party because it has thrown open its doors to defectors from other parties, big and small.

“This alone, in addition to the fact that we didn’t start on the note of arrogance of power, nor see government as a vehicle for self-aggrandisement, to be held at all costs, but a vehicle to bring development to all without discrimination-political, ethnic or regional to our dear country made this success possible.

“Given all that is at a stake, we can expect contests into offices as we are now faced with to be heated although candidates and their promoters for party offices are not so much debating policy differences but differences of management, personality, character, and suitability for the most important leadership roles in our country and therefore the continent.”

The Nigerian president also blamed the media for escalating the issues from the party.

“It is equally clear that over the last week or so, the internal management affairs of the APC have been afforded generous media coverage – over and above its importance to the voters of Nigeria.

“It is important to ask what benefits the poor are getting during the period of intense negative coverage.

“When precisely the party’s convention is held and who is the party’s chairman is hardly a matter for the average voter: vastly more important is who convention delegates will elect as the party’s flagbearer in the coming weeks to take forward the party’s platform to the people in the general election in February next year.

“It is therefore important for the media to put such matters into perspective. No one is debating policy differences here. That is for the general election. None of the declared aspirants and any of those that may step forward will change because of who may be in the party in the chairman’s seat. It is essentially the same party,” the president added.