Femi Adesina, the Presidential Spokesperson, has revealed why President Muhammadu Buhari did not force the All Progressives Congress, APC, to elect a consensus presidential candidate.
Several rumours circulated in the run-up to the Party’s Primaries that the President was trying to impose a consensus candidate on the party. These rumours were put to rest when former Lagos Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu was elected as the party’s flagbearer.
The ruling party’s special convention and presidential primary that produced Tinubu as the party’s flagbearer was a litmus test for the President, according to Adesina.
‘Knock, Knock!’ says a writer in a piece titled ‘Knock, Knock!’ “Let me first discuss about the last one week leading up to the APC primary election,” Adesina wrote. President Muhammadu Buhari said he has a preference candidate in an interview he gave in January of this year. Is he going to name the person? He refused, claiming that he would be exposing the person to too many hazards, including the possibility of being eliminated.”
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“Having a favourite in such a position is natural, and the President did nothing wrong.” Would you, on the other hand, show undue favour to the individual? Would you wield your power, run roughshod over others, and push your preferred candidate on your political party and the country? It’s something we’ve seen before. Olusegun Obasanjo, the former President of Nigeria, did it with Umaru Yar’Adua. He did the same thing with Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, though to a lesser extent. Is Buhari capable of doing so while remaining a democratic, fair, and unbiased leader? knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock “Hello, who’s there?”
“That was the topic of conversation in the week leading up to the primary election. There were at least 23 people that wanted to be a part of it. Who would get the President’s approval? Could he remain non-aligned and neutral? At the very least, he had admitted to having someone in mind. “Would he be fair, detached, and non-discriminatory?”
“At least four consultative meetings were held in order to find a suitable candidate for the party.” One was with the Progressive Governors Forum, which is affiliated with the APC Governors. The other was with presidential candidates, followed by the National Advisory Council (previously known as the Board of Trustees), and finally the Northern Progressive Governors Forum.”
“Usually, the main topic of discussion was who would be the preferred aspirant. Where might he be from in the United States? Would the President choose his favourite or let the democratic process decide? What was the President’s strategy? How did he maintain his neutrality when he had previously admitted to having a favourite? Whether you’re a democrat or not, it’s a test of justice, and the President passed it despite all odds.”
“Every time a consultative meeting ended, the President’s words were twisted and contorted.” They imported and imputed a wide range of interpretations, the vast majority of which were unjustified and erroneous. That’s exactly what he meant. He stated a lot of things. This is exactly what he was saying. He simply did not come clean. “The man remained silent.”
“The day of the primary election arrived. Despite having admitted to having a favoured candidate, the President remained impartial. How did he pull it off? Strange. Supernatural. Curious. knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock Is there anyone there? But until a contender appeared, President Buhari remained discreet, modest, and self-effacing.”
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“Throughout the process, I saw people who were core Buharists but were now on opposing sides of the split go after each other’s jugular. Some were vitriolic, unpleasant, and bordered on the indecent. Can they, however, put their swords away now that the race is over? Is there anything in life that should cause us to become impolite in both our speech and our actions? Fie! “I say, fess up.”
“The decision will be made in February.” May God keep us safe till then and beyond. President Buhari has done everything possible for his party and country. Since 2015, he has been pursued by various forces and interests, and it has mostly been about the pursuit of power. He is leaving in a dignified, methodical manner, and he is giving it his all until the very last moment. Bola Tinubu, Atiku Abubakar, and the other contenders must now respond to the knock at the door. knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock “Hello, who’s there?”
