ITS JONATHAN VS BUHARI AGAIN •Atiku, Kwankwaso, Okorocha congratulate Buhari •Fashola, Oshiomhole, Amaechi, Osinbajo, Fayemi contend for VP slot 12.Dec.2014 By Chukwuma Okparaocha, Bola Badmus and Jacob Segun Olatunji FOR the second successive time, former head of state, General Muhammadu Buhari, will face President Goodluck Jonathan in a presidential contest. This came following the emergence of Buhari as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), after an election held at the third national convention of the party held at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, on Thursday. Jonathan had been ratified as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for the 2015 election, after the national convention of the party held at the Eagle Square, Abuja, on Thursday. Buhari beat four other aspirants, polling about 57 per cent of the total vote cast in the primaries adjudged to be free and fair. The former head of state won a total of 3,430 votes out of a total 6,008 votes cast, while the second placed Kano State governor, Dr Rabiu Kwakwanso, polled 974 votes. Coming third is the ex-Vice President of the country, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, with 954 votes, while the governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha and the publisher of the Leadership Newspaper, Sam Nda-Isaiah, completed the votes with 624 and 10 votes respectively, even as 16 votes were declared void. Buhari was declared the winner of the primaries at exactly 6.00 p.m on Thursday by the chairman of the convention planning committee, Dr Kayode Fayemi. In his acceptance speech, Buhari reeled out key national areas he hopes to address if his party wins the national presidential election next year. These, according to him, included efficient management of the nation’s economy; to govern Nigeria in accordance with the rule and dictates of the constitution and to attack corruption from all fronts. He also pledged to give no room for religious or tribal division in the country, while also declaring his determination to ensure that only the right people get the right jobs. Commending the efforts of the other contestants, Buhari further remarked that the primaries, rather than mar the party, would strengthen the APC against the 2015 general election. “The primaries will only strengthen the APC in 2015 elections. So in days to come, we will meet to fashion out a way forward. Preserving the nation’s future is a sacred duty and commitment of the party,” he said. Similarly, the other aspirants - Abubakar, Okorocha, and Kwankwaso (Nda-Isaiah was not present at this stage) - all pledged their supports for Buhari, while, at the same time, expressing their satisfaction with the transparent and truthful manner which they claimed the conference and elections were held. Speaking on the primaries, Atiku described it as “the most credible” election held by APC, adding that he was happy with the “transparent” way with which the elections were held. “This is the most credible elections to be ever conducted by any political party in the country,” Atiku said, while promising to work with the winner to ensure that APC wins in 2015. Atiku, to the surprise of many, came a distant third, after grossing 954 votes in an election many had predicted would be a close call between him and Buhari. Atiku described Buhari as “an embodiment of democracy, always ready to offer himself for service of fatherland.” While conceding victory to Buhari, Atiku assured him of his support and cooperation, pointing out that Buhari had been given the task to march the APC to victory in 2015. “All of us are committed to support and work for you to bring about a change in the country,” he said. Kano State governor, Kwankwaso, got a standing ovation immediately his votes were counted and turned out to be more than that of Atiku. Kwankwanso congratulated Buhari, saying: “Let me say that on behalf of my humble self and delegates, I want to congratulate the winner of the convention. I want to congratulate Major-General.” He equally promised on behalf of other aspirants to work for the party and Buhari as a family to ensure victory in 2015. In his remarks, the Imo State governor, Okorocha, joked that Buhari only won the election because he was the oldest of the five, stating his belief that the next time, a younger candidate would win. Okorocha said the party had made history with the way and manner the national convention was held, even as he congratulated Buhari for his victory. He expressed the belief that Buhari would baptise Nigeria with progress and development if elected into office in next general election. The Imo governor, however, stressed the importance of his participation in the race to the people of the South-East who, he said, now had a sense of belonging in APC. “The people of South-East now have a sense of belonging in APC, because I ran. This was what I intended to achieve when I decided I was going to run,” he stated. Meanwhile, the issue of who becomes the running mate in the party is still in contention. Nigerian Tribune learnt that those being considered included Lagos State governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola; his Rivers State counterpart, Rotimi Amaechi, Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State; former governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi and Professor Yemi Osinbajo. Series of meetings are being held by the party leaders to come up with the best running mate for General Buhari. Congratulating Buhari on his victory, Oyo State governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Dr Festus Adedayo, said the emergence of Buhari was a further attestation of the high regard which APC had for democratic process and internal democracy. The governor also commended the spirit of sportsmanship exhibited by other contestants by accepting the outcome of the primaries in good faith. Edo State governor, Adams Oshiomhole, also congratulated Buhari, while he also lauded other presidential aspirants for a gallant fight. He urged them to join hands with the winner to scale the next hurdle for the party. There was, however, a mild drama during the voting exercise, as delegates from Delta State protested at the venue. Their grouse was that the cards meant for them to vote with were nowhere to be found. The entire development delayed the whole event for about 40 minutes before nomalcy was eventually restored. NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
Posted on: Fri, 12 Dec 2014 05:57:51 +0000
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