The South-West leaders of the All Progressives Congress, APC has said that President Muhammadu Buhari has not declare his intention to seek re-election in 2019 saying anyone is free to contest.
A former interim National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC Chief Bisi Akande disclosed this at the meeting of the APC South-West stakeholders at the executive chamber of the Oyo State governor’s office in Ibadan.
Akande chaired the meeting which had in attendance the Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi; his counterpart from Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu; Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola; and Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State.
Other attendees were the Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun; a former Oyo State governor, Adebayo Alao-Akala; a former Osun State governor, Olagunsoye Oyinlola; the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yussuff Lasun; and the Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu.
He said, “He (Buhari) has not told us that he is contesting again. Anybody in our party is free to become the President of Nigeria. As soon as they indicate interest, we will set a process through which a candidate is elected.
“If he (Buhari) is lucky to have the ticket, we will present him as our candidate.”
He said what the South-West leaders of the party were advocating was devolution of powers from the centre to the states and local governments.
Akande, a former Osun State governor, stated, “The APC leaders from the South-West, together with our members in government at the state and the national levels, met to review what we decided at the last meeting in January 2017 and to see whether the efforts of our leaders in government have been fruitful.
“We are happy that we have had a happy meeting. Our governors and ministers are performing satisfactorily.”
On restructuring, Akande said, “Restructuring is not our language, go and ask those who are advocating restructuring to define it. What we want is devolution of functions from the centre to the states and the local governments. Restructuring is the language of other groups of people. Restructuring is not in the APC constitution or manifesto” .
