Nigeria’s former military Head of State, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari, has allegedly paid deaf ears to suggestions by people to drop his aspiration for the presidency in order to give room for the younger candidates to partake in the leadership of our nation for the sake of posterity.
Buhari, who was encouraged to select a younger candidate to take up as the flag bearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2015 election, has reportedly gone ahead to make sure that all arrangements are concluded for his scheduled date to officially declare, ThisDay reports.
Meanwhile, the adamant Buhari had already fixed his official pronouncement for October 8, 2014, with his followers putting all hands on deck to mobilize people from all his supporters working round the clock mobilizing all and sundry from the party to participate fully in order to help his aspirations come true.
ThisDay reports stated that the former head of state will on Tuesday September 30, 2014 talk to a handful of various youth support groups from different parts of Abuja.
However, Kon state governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso’s group is strongly against this decision as they had earlier advised Buhari to give up his ambition to become the president of Nigeria for the umpteenth time urging him to allow younger aspirant, in the person of Kwankwaso to contest.
Meanwhile, Kwankwaso had expressed his reservations on the problem that might spring up in the party as a result of the contest between Buhari and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar noting that it might cause a serious division in the party if they both continue with the contest.
Also, Kwankwaso’s Edo State coordinator, Francis Ikonomwan, in Abuja on Monday, September 29, 2014 made it known that pro-Kwankwaso group had commenced moves to reach out to the delegates to make sure that Kano state governor becomes APC’s presidential flag bearer in 2015 general elections.
Ikonomwan said, “We want a paradigm shift; we want a change from the old order and this is why people are clamouring for a realistic change. We have looked at the track record and Kwankwaso is the man that actually meets the demands of the people.
“As for Alhaji Atiku, he has lost integrity, you may see people around him, they are hired crowds. Nigerians don’t want him. On General Buhari, he is a man we used to respect, he is a man Nigerians hold in high esteem, but we are surprised that he will be declaring next week. Remember he told us after the 2011 elections that he will not contest again and we expect him to stick to his words as a man of integrity. If he contests again, that shows that he is no longer a man of integrity.
“I want to say that the ambitions of Atiku and General Buhari will tear APC apart. What is best for them is to come behind a younger person and no other person than Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso,” Ikonomwan added.
The pro- Kwankwaso’s group also called on leaders of the APC not to force any candidate on the people, saying; “such move is capable of destabilising the party.”
It would be recalled that on September 27, 2014 Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Finance and a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Hon Abdulmumin Jibrin also asked former Head of State, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari not to contest in the 2015 presidential election. On September 28,2014 Gen. Muhammadu Buhari and former vice-president Atiku Abubakar, reportedly clashed over the procedure for adopting the 2015 presidential candidate for the party.
Meanwhile, governor Kwankwaso, has explicitly stated reasons behind his contest for the 2015 general elections.
