The 2019 General Elections has raised eyebrows, causing clash of verdicts to occur in the All Progressive Congress (APC), as to who will be the Presidential flag bearer of the party.
While some of the party Governors said the President should vie for second term, others have stated that there is no automatic ticket for him.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina is in support of the latter.
Femi who spoke in an interview, stated that the President cannot be given an automatic ticket, as it would be undemocratic to the party.
“So far, we don’t have a candidate for 2019.
“In democracy, you don’t really talk of automatic ticket. In a true democracy, contest for any position should be open but there is no indication now that the president is going to throw his heart into the ring.”
The SSA added that the President will decide by himself whether to run for 2019 or not as people’s interest is not a yardstick.
“As the local saying goes, you don’t shave a man’s head in his absence and nobody can decide for the president. He is the one who can decide for himself.
“People can voice their opinion which they have done, people can indicate their desire but the ultimate decision will be that of the President.”
The former Party and Chairman and Chieftain of the Party, Chief Bisi Akande also admitted that the President is not guaranteed an automatic ticket to contest for the 2019 Elections.
Akande said if the President indicates interest, due process would be followed by contesting with other candidates of the party in the primaries for a winner to emerge.
“He has not told us, anybody in our party is free to become the president of Nigeria. As soon as they indicate interests, we will set a process through which a candidate will be selected. If he (Buhari) is lucky to have the ticket, then we will have no other thing to do than to present him as our candidate.”
The Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha who has not hid his interest to contest for Presidency also said he would only step down if the President is not contesting for second term.
“No, my President is very democratic. If Mr President wants to run for election, he will follow all the processes and if he is the person, we will all support him.
“In APC, there is no imposition of candidates. If Buhari is running, I will allow that man to continue but if he is not running, I …”, he stopped halfway, laughing.
At the last National Executive Meeting (NEC), held in Abuja, some Governors had supported the continuation of President Buhari for second term.
The Governors moved an informal motion to support the President for re-election in 2019 Elections.
Speaking with the Press before the meeting, Governor of Nasarawa State, Umar Tanko Al-Makura, said the party does not have any better candidate than the President for the forthcoming election, who he described as a man with integrity.
“The future of this country as we are now, is associated with one person who is impeccable, who has the greatest amount of integrity that you can find in any human being around, so your guess is as good as mine.”
In line with Al-Makura, Simon Lalung of Plateau State also believe that Buhari is the right flag bearer of the party for 2019.
“Concerning the issue of a sole ticket for Mr President, I want to say that if Mr President is performing, well-respected and carrying everybody along, all of us have resolved that we will work for him. “Do we have any other person that will challenge the President again? Whatever you call it, as far as we are concerned, we have one President and that is the ticket we will fly.”
It is still unclear whether the President would run for second term as he has not shown or declare interest.
