APC Primaries: It’s time for change — Tinubu, Oyegun, Atiku •As APC decides osundefender.org/?p=199456 The All Progressives Congress (APC) on Wednesday, till the early hours of today, held its historic presidential primaries to elect its presidential candidate. The APC convention was attended with a high social media following with different information flying on various sites. Late on Wednesday, rumours of stepping down of three of the candidates for General Muhammadu Buhari took over the airwaves and even credible media fell for it till the candidates began to refute the rumours. Late noon on Wednesday, the candidates went round the hotels where the delegates were lodged, canvassing for votes. Rumours of the candidates matching themselves naira for naira and dollar for dollar was everywhere. In the course of the processes, suicide bombers struck in Kano and sources said Kwankwaso had to fly back to Kano to deal with the bomb blasts, hence a reason for delayed exercise. Members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party were, however, barred from voting, as they will serve as final appellate body on dissensions arising from the primaries. The decision taken by the party national hierarchy compelled the exclusion of its members from the exercise. A member of the commitee confirmed the decision to the Nigerian Tribune. He also disclosed that the national chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, was asked to include the decision in his speech at the convention. The decision was said to allow for unbiased handling of likely disaffection with the exercise by the losing aspirants. The NWC of the party had been severally accused of bias in favour of a particular candidate. A particular candidate was said to be furious over a story allegedly planted in an on-line medium by the supporters of another aspirant, announcing his withdrawal from the race. Many of his delegates reportedly bought into the alleged plot and deserted the convention ground while many others were said to have shifted support to the aspirant he allegedly withdrew for. The aspirant had to make categorical statement, denying his withdrawal from the race. Tension was said to be thick in the air in North on Wednesday as the region awaited the emergence of the party’s standard-bearer, widely expected to be from the region. Votes from the South-West were, however, said to be the most prized at the exercise, with the enforcers of both Muhammadu Buhari and Atiku Abubakar in a frenzy to secure the delegates’ endorsement. The politics of securing the said delegates’ support was allegedly not devoid of heavy funding on both sides. Some members of the NWC also reportedly kicked against the adoption of Buhari by governors elected on the party’s platform. The idea allegedly came from a governor from the South-South, said to be in contention for the vice president slot. It was learnt that delegates from states without APC governors allegedly planned to gang up against Buhari, to stop the governors from becoming the most powerful bloc in the party. APC will deliver a new Nigeria -Fayemi Chairman of the third national convention planning committee of APC, Dr Kayode Fayemi, described the convention “major signpost” that will deliver Nigeria from the hands of the ruling party and deliver a new Nigeria. Delivering his speech at the convention, the former governor of Ekiti State insisted that all the five aspirants seeking the mandate of the delegates were all working together to achieve the sole aim of ousting the PDP in 2015. “Today is a major signpost on our journey to a new Nigeria. At this event, not only will the presidential standar-bearer of our great party emerge from the five distinguished aspirants lined up, we also have the opportunity to demonstrate to the good people of Nigeria, our democratic credentials by the way we conduct ourselves and the business of the day,” he said. Speaking further, Dr Fayemi said, “today, we will showcase the spirit of sportsmanship and the love for the greater good that have been the pillars upon which this great party has been built. “We will move on from this event to fulfil all other formalities and commence an issue-based campaign of progressive and agenda-setting critiques aimed at redeeming our land and its people. “We will address the moral deficit it that has led to the breakdown of our moral value system, causing hydra-headed symptoms such as corruption, crass incompetence and ethno religious bigotry. “We will walk in the tradition of our progressive forefathers who were characterised by their commitment to aggressively setting forth idea on how to make Nigeria great again. We will move on from here and go on to win the presidential election in 2015,” he added. Fayemi, also declared as “mere coronation,” the convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abuja. He insisted that rather than embark on the “inglorious coronation exercise” of the PDP, APC, on the other hand, had underlined its belief in the principles of internal democracy, by its decision to choose one aspirant out of a total of five to fly the party’s flag. “Today’s event is very important to the development of the Nigerian nation. This is not a coronation exercise as currently being done in Abuja by PDP,” he said. The former governor of Ekiti State, who described the APC’s convention as “a process,” pointed out that it was as important as the product. “This is not only about who emerges as the party’s standard-bearer, rather, emphasis should be placed on how the winning candidate emerges. The entire process is open and transparent and the results would be announced publicly,” he remarked. ... unveils 6 cardinal agenda for 2015 The APC has unveiled six-cardinal manifesto for the 2015 elections, which, it says, address key areas of the national economy, including national security, good governance, human capital development, economic development, foreign policy and capital projects. Reeling out the manifesto was the national chairman of the party, Odigie-Oyegun, who noted that the party had carefully mapped out the manifesto, because “Nigerians are tired of PDP and are yeaning for a change.” He insisted that the party would, among other things, focus on job creation, while also adding that efforts would also be channelled towards revitalising the nation’s ailing health and education sectors, as well as providing an enviable welfare package for the senior citizens above 65 years. Other general areas which the national chairman promised the party would develop included true federalism, elimination of corruption, youth development, capacity building for job seekers, as well as provision of one million housing units per year, among others. It’s call for change –Tinubu National leader of the party, Senator Tinubu, in his speech on the occasion, said “a special energy is in the air. Many of us have attended political conventions before. This one is different. “I can feel the hand of history upon us, guiding us to accomplish something vital for our nation in this period of compound crisis. We are not here just to hold a convention. We are here to rescue Nigeria. “Above the din of the city and noise of the crowd, if you listen closely you can hear something unique and inspiring. It is the call of change. It is this voice that led you to join this party. It is this voice that led you to become delegates to this convention. It is this voice that will lead us to victory in the elections. “It is the voice of people in the cities and on the farms. It is the voice of the young and the old. It is the voice heard north, south, east and west. It is the voice of Christian and Muslim alike. It is the voice that calls forth a new day and a better Nigeria. “It is your voice. It is my voice. It is the voice of our children, singing of their hopes, dreams and future aspirations. “During this convention, the history of our beloved nation is to be rewritten for the better. You came here as representatives of a new Nigeria. “Given the challenges facing our nation and given the likelihood that our party in this election represents the last best chance to avert national failure, I too trust that you will rise to perform your duties as this historic moment requires. “We must conduct this convention with a sense of national purpose that overrides any personal and parochial interests we may have,” he said. Tinubu added that the convention would be conducted in transparent openness and according to the demands of fair play. “This convention will demonstrate to Nigerians there is one party that has shown it can govern the nation in the spirit of democracy because it has already conducted itself in the same manner. We are that party,” he said. Nigerians want change –Atiku Addressing the delegates, Atiku, who was the first to speak among the aspirants, said “Nigerians want change. They are tired of unemployment, dangerous PDP mathematics, continued embarrassment of the Nigerian Army, plying the death traps called roads, among others. He added that he would be glad if given the opportunity to lead the change Nigerians needed. How I will govern –Buhari Also, in his turn, General Buhari said “this is not the time for continuity. It is time for change. Failure does not deserve continuity. “I will govern Nigeria according to the rule of law. I am what you see before you, a simple man.” He added that “I still live on my military pensions, I own no companies or accounts, whereas some people who have occupied the same office have become rich. I am here at this point of national crisis. I have no dollars to give you, Nigeria is not for sale.” Early accreditation at convention venue Accreditation of about 10,000 delegates cutting across the 26 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory started at around 3.00 p.m with accredited delegates trickling into the main bowl of the stadium to take their respective seats. Nigerian Tribune, which promptly started nosing around the delegates to determine who most were rooting for, could not make any headway, as the delegates maintained tight lips over the issue. A former governor of Osun State and former secretary of PDP, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, who described PDP as “my former people,” said “today, APC will elect the man that has the capacity to cause a positive change in the affairs of the country. My expectation here is to see the next president of the country elected.” Also speaking to newsmen on his expectation at the convention, former gubernatorial aspirant for Lagos State, Senator Ganiyu Solomon, disclosed that for the sake of the progress of the party, losers of the party’s primaries should work with whoever emerged as the winner. “We expect a very peaceful and transparent process which will also be credible. But for the interest of the party, the losers should stand behind the winner for the sake of the progress of the party,” he noted.
Posted on: Fri, 12 Dec 2014 08:53:29 +0000
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