Ahead of the All Progressives Congress National Convention, President Muhammadu Buhari has appealed to the 23 Governors of the APC to support him in his attempt choose his successor.
EyewitnessMedia gathered that Buhari who advised the party to think of the right candidate that possessed the certain qualities, sought reciprocity from the governors like they (The Governors) were allowed to pick their successors.
“For example, first-term governors who have served credibly well have been encouraged to stand for re-election. Similarly, second-term governors have been accorded the privilege of promoting successors that are capable of driving their visions as well as the ideals of the party,” the President stated.
Buhari said he would be seeking reciprocity from the governors ahead of the presidential primary which comes up in the next six days.
In keeping with the established internal policies of the party and as we approach the convention in a few days, therefore, I wish to solicit the reciprocity and support of the governors and other stakeholders in picking my successor, who would fly the flag of our party for election into the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2023,” the President added.
He asked the governors to ensure that all interests ‘converge’ as regards the outcome of the presidential primary. The President added that the person who emerges as the presidential candidate must be one who could give Nigerians a sense of victory even before the polls.
Buhari stated, “As we approach the convention, I appeal to all of you to allow our interests to converge, our focus to remain on the changing dynamics of our environment, the expectations of our citizens and the global community.
“Our objective must be the victory of our party and our choice of a candidate must be someone who would give the Nigerian masses a sense of victory and confidence even before the elections.”
Afterwards, the president embarked on a two-day state visit to Madrid, the capital city of Spain, to honour an invitation by his Spanish counterpart, Pedro Sanchez.
While there, he would meet Head of State of the Spanish nation, King Felipe VI, and discuss issues of mutual interest to both countries, which will expectedly result in the signing of agreements and Memoranda of Understanding on a wide range of areas such as the extradition and transfer of convicted persons, mutual legal assistance, cultural matters, cooperation towards fighting crime and enhancing security, as well as issues affecting dependants of diplomatic staff.
The President is expected back in the country on Friday, days before the presidential primary elections of the All Progressives Congress.
With the trip, Buhari would have visited eight countries in the last five months.
He had in May visited the United Arabs Emirate where he paid a condolence visit to the country over the loss of its immediate past leader, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nayan; Equatorial Guinea, where he attended the Extraordinary Summit of the African Union; and the Ivory Coast, where he attended the 15th session of the Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.
