Former Head of State and one of the presidential aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), said he had to complain about the high cost of fees payable for forms of his party to contest Presidential primaries, saying, he pity himself, but “couldn’t read sympathy on anybody’s face.”
Buhari, who was at the APC national headquarters yesterday when picked expression of interest and nomination forms, said he paid for himself the N27.5 million requested for the forms.
He said: “It is a pity that I could not influence this amount that has to be paid like was done for the ladies who are trying to participate and for the disabled. I looked left and right and could not read sympathy on anybody’s face and so, I kept my trap and felt heavily sorry for myself because I don’t want to go and ask anybody to pay for my nomination.
“If could recall, in the entire contest, I have always tried to pay myself at least for the nomination; but N27.5 million these days! Thank God I have a personal relationship with the Chairman of my bank. I called him and told him that the forms are coming and so, whether my accounts is in red or green or black, you must honour this, otherwise, I will lose the nomination.
“I was about to go to Kaduna today and told the chairman and he said, ‘you better pick the form and keep a straight face.’ That means that there is no excuse. I thank God that we have gotten to this stage and all speculations will now cease and now, in the best traditional if democracy, people can now follow their choice candidate into the arena.”
Responding, National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, who described Buhari as “a harbinger of change” despite his age, said: “The N27.5 million is to separate the boys from the men. We know you and don’t expect you to have N27 million under your bed. But I expect that there are Nigerians who will vouch for you any day and who are ready to stand by you any day and that is the result that we have obtained today.”
