The CPC denied knowledge of the posters. While the All Progressives Congress, APC, finalises plans to file application for registration with the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, posters announcing former military head of state, Muhammadu Buhari, as the consensus presidential candidate of the association, have flooded some parts of Abuja. The green background posters, which are strategically posted in the Asokoro District and other areas of the federal capital, are sponsored by an APC youth group – Forum of All Progressive Congress Youth. The emergence of the posters came as a surprise as the association is yet to be registered as a political party let alone picking a consensus candidate. The posters which have the portrait of Mr. Buhari, read: “HERE COMES THE ONLY SAVIOR FOR NIGERIA, GEN, MUHAMMADU BUHARI, APC CONSENSUS CANDIDATE FOR 2015 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION; SUPPORT BUHARI ALL PROGRESSIVES CONGRESS, SUPPORT BUHARI: THE ONLY MAN FOR THE JOB. Muhammadu Buhari Mr. Buhari was the presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, in the last presidential election in 2011. He contested for a similar position in 2003 and 2007 on the platform of the All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP. Last month, the retired general said he would only concede the presidential ticket to a better candidate on the platform of APC. In an interview with Daily Trust Newspaper on Sunday, Mr. Buhari, who is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of CPC, said he was not too old to be president at 71. In February, CPC, ANPP, Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, and a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, announced their plan to merge into APC. The parties have since concluded their national conventions where their members approved the plan to dissolve into a single party. Just before then, the faction of APGA to which the Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, belongs, announced its decision to join APC. Only last Tuesday, the parties involved in the merger held a plenary session where issues relating to the registration of the association were discussed. At the end of the meeting, the Joint Inter-Party Management Committee, JIMC, resolved to ask all the parties to send their nominations for appointment into the Interim Management Committee, IMC. Rotimi Fashakin, the spokesman of the CPC, said the party is not aware of the posters, describing their emergence as “mischief.” He explained that the APC has not met to decide who should fly its flag in the 2015 presidential candidate, adding that it is premature to do so. “We’re not aware of it. Where is it? The APC has not been registered and there was never a time it met to decide on consensus candidate,” he said. Asked if he suspected that the posters were posted by agents of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Mr. Fashakin said it is not impossible. “It is not impossible because it is the PDP that does not want consensus candidate. They don’t want anybody to contest against the incumbent. “General Buhari is ready to test his popularity and not to become consensus candidate.”
Posted on: Thu, 13 Jun 2013 15:56:45 +0000
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