Why I’m Seeking A 2nd Term — Buhari

By Omeiza Ajayi, Dennis Agbo, Ugochukwu Alaribe & Dirisu Yakubu
•President urges APC to be united and capture power in 2019
•Asks party to grant waivers for Oyegun, others to contest at congresses
•Why I endured media attacks by my opponents — Oyegun
•Afenifere, Junaid Mohammed, Ikokwu, Okorocha, Adeniran, PDP, others react
ABUJA—President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, put paid to speculations about his political future with a declaration to the National Executive Committee, NEC of the All Progressives Congress, APC, that he would seek a second term to enable him consolidate on his achievements.
The resolution of the President’s aspiration, however, came with a fresh uncertainty on the future of the party, following a recommendation by a committee of the party that could open the way for the extension of the tenure of the Chief John Odigie-Oyegun-led National Working Committee, NWC.
The committee led by Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State had been constituted upon President Buhari’s observations that an extension of tenure of the party executives was illegal.
In its recommendations adopted by NEC, yesterday, it was recommended that the party goes ahead and conducts congresses and a national convention but that where it was impossible to do so, that the party should fall back on the extension of tenure for all party officers across board as originally conceived at the NEC meeting in February.
President Buhari’s declaration was received with rapturous approval at the NEC meeting. However, outside, critics and political rivals expressed dismay upon claims of a mixed performance in his first term. Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, in a reaction, charged every other contender to run away.
At the crowded, closed-door NEC meeting, the President said that having made wide consultations and conscious of the need to consolidate on his achievements in office, he had decided to stand for re-election. His declaration was greeted with a standing ovation.
The president, who came under “Any Other Business, AOB,” said he had been under tremendous pressure to make the declaration, adding that he felt it was courteous to first inform the NEC before going to town with it.
Apart from hordes of presidential aides, others at the meeting which was also attended by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, were the caucuses of the National Assembly, led by Senate President, Bukola Saraki; Speaker Yakubu Dogara, governors of Zamfara, Imo, Oyo, Ogun, Benue, Plateau, Bauchi, Kebbi and Jigawa states. Others were those of Kaduna, Kogi, Borno, Sokoto, Adamawa, Lagos, Ondo, Nasarawa, Kano, Osun and the deputy governors of Katsina, Edo, Yobe and Niger states as well as other NEC members.
Addressing journalists at a post-NEC briefing, both the Plateau State governor, Simon Bako Lalong, and the National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, confirmed the president’s declaration.
Lalong, who also spoke on the report of the technical committee which he headed, said: “Everybody’s interest was considered in the report and it was a unanimous vote and adoption of the recommendations that were made.
“The President felt so happy and excited because of this unity in the party; he will now consider and also accept the appeal by several members of the society, party and everybody that he will contest the 2019 election.
“He has accepted that he is going to contest again the position of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” the governor confirmed.
Oyegun’s NWC might have tenure extended if….
However, the last may not have been heard of the issue of tenure elongation for party executives as the Lalong committee in its recommendations sighted by Vanguard, stated that the party might have to fall back on its earlier resolution extending the tenure of the executives. It premised its decision on the inability of the party to fulfill all legal conditions necessary for a convention and congresses.
“If for reasons of inability to fulfil constitutional and/or legal conditions requisite for the conduct of a valid elective congress or convention, then the party may as a last resort leverage on the NEC resolution of February 27, 2018, which in our view is lawful in the circumstances. Finally, the committee recommended that a NEC meeting be convened to consider the report.”Click to read more.