Buhari wins APC presidential ticket

Former Head of State retired General Muhammadu Buhari yesterday won the ticket of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) to run in the Presidential election – for the fourth time.Buhari polled 3,430 or 48% of the total of 6008 votes cast to beat Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwakwaso who got 974 votes; former Vice President […]

Former Head of State retired General Muhammadu Buhari yesterday won the ticket of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) to run in the Presidential election – for the fourth time.
Buhari polled 3,430 or 48% of the total of 6008 votes cast to beat Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwakwaso who got 974 votes; former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, 954 votes; Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha with 624 votes, and publisher of Leadership Newspapers Mr. Sam-Nda Isaiah received 10 votes.16 votes were invalidated. A total of 7,214 delegates were accredited for the exercise.
Former Ekiti State Governor Dr Kayode Fayemi, who was the Chief Returning Officer, declared Buhari as winner.
He said: “Having won the majority votes cast, it is my pleasure and honour to declare Muhamadu Buhari as the winner of APC Presidential contest in preparation for the 2015 elections.”
While the counting was going on, it was observed that as soon as Buhari’s votes counted surpassed that of former vice-president Atiku Abubakar, the Teslim Balogun Stadium, venue of the primary, went agog with the General’s supporters shouting, “Sai Buhari, sai Baba!!!”.
Buhari thanks contestants
In his acceptance speech, General Buhari saluted his fellow contestants saying they had all put up a good fight.
“To my fellow contestants, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Governor Rochas Okorocha, Mr Sam Nda Isaiah, I want to thank you all for putting up a good fight. I extend my greetings to you and thank you for accepting the results of the convention and your resolve to support my candidature. I shall meet with you in the coming days to freshen up on how to confront the challenges ahead.”
The former Head of State added: “My dear people of Nigeria, it is with deep sense of humility that I am accepting the nomination of my party, the All Progressive Congress as its candidate in the 2015 Presidential election. I accept that my nomination is not because I am better than other candidates. We have all been determined to liberate our country from the current state of insecurity and poverty among others”.
Buhari said what he envisaged today a country where Muslims and Christians, rich and poor, young and old are citizens of a Nigeria, and where government will have obligations to the citizens. He also regretted some of the developments currently confronting the country.
“In international conferences, Nigerian delegations are always the largest but at the same time with the least influence. Our President should have the status of presiding over the largest population in Africa but we are among the weakest,” he said.
Buhari added posers: “Should we continue to live in a situation whereby the Power Holding Company and its successors companies continue to hold us in darkness? Should we continue to live in a nation where 250 of our children were kidnapped and we have not been told where they are or even have any credible information on how to get them back?
“Should we continue to live in a nation whereby several people looking for work were trampled upon to death in a stadium and nobody has so far been held responsible? Shall we continue to live in a nation where the lives of the poor keep getting worse and the rich keep living in abundance? My answers to all of these is No. No and No!”
General Buhari also said when all is said and done; he wants it to be written that he Muhamadu Buhari gave his all to this nation.
He listed five cardinal programmes he would pursue when he is elected President.
“We have drawn up five programmes to implement if elected as President in February next year. First, we would govern Nigeria honestly and according to the constitution of the country. We will secure the country and efficiently improve the economy. We will attack poverty in a way that will encourage economic growth.
“We will tackle corruption with impartial application of the law. We will allow representatives of regional, religious and quotas in our government, we will return Nigeria to the position of international respect,” Buhari said.
‘I have no money to give you’
Earlier, before the voting started, Buhari made a passionate appeal to the delegates.
“What I will give you and this nation is all of my strength, commitment, sweat and toil in the service of the people. What I can give you is my all. I have always tried to give more to the nation than it has given me. This is the principle of service that has guided my public life.
“Thus, I am not a rich person. I can’t give you a pocketful of dollars or naira to purchase your support. Even if I could, I would not do so. The fate of this nation is not up for sale”, he said
He said he was seeking to be the next president of Nigeria because he believed he has something to offer Nigeria at this time of multiple crises.
APC national chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, while presenting Buhari as APC presidential candidate congratulated him and also commended the aspirants for taking part in the primaries.
He later presented the party’s symbol, a branded APC broom, flag and party’s constitution to Buhari and urged Nigerians to vote for APC in 2015 elections.
Aspirants pledge support
In their respective addresses, Atiku Abubakar, Kwankwaso and Okorocha congratulated Buhari for emerging as APC presidential candidate and promised to ensure his victory in next year’s election.
Atiku said that the primary is the most credible, transparent elections ever to be conducted by any political party in Nigeria.
“We will change Jonathan. Buhari is the man who will change Jonathan. General Buhari has been an embodiment for decades of nation building in this country for decades and he has continued to offer himself and his services to this country. I want to assure him of the support of this great party. We will support you to bring about the change that
this country desires,” he said.
Kwankwaso said as all the aspirants earlier agreed to work with anybody that wins the party primaries, they will work with Buhari and the party for success of APC at all levels in the 2015 elections.
Owelle Okorocha said that APC has shown the world, with the outcome of the primaries, that internal democracy is possible in a political party.
Daily Trust reports that the fifth contestant Nda-Isaiah was not present during the declaration of Buhari as the winner.
Meanwhile, the race for running mate has already started. Names being mentioned as possible candidates include Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi, his Edo counterpart Adams Oshiomhole, former Lagos State attorney general Yemi Osibajo, and others.