Don’t allow PDP return to power, Buhari begs Nigerians

President Muhammadu Buhari has asked Nigerians not to allow the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) return to power in 2019, even as he personally submitted his Nomination and Expression of Interest Forms to the national secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abuja.
Upon the return of democracy to the country in 1999, the PDP was inaugurated as the ruling party following its victory at the polls, and enjoyed the privilege up until 2015 when Buhari led APC to victory.
President Buhari, who was with the full complement of members of the Federal Executive Council , serving and former governors and party leaders, arrived at the secretariat at about 3.44pm.
A group under the aegis of National Consolidation Ambassadors of Nigeria purchased the N45million forms and handed same over to him on Wednesday.
While returning the form to the party, Buhari said he was taking another shot at the presidency with “humility, sense of responsibility and unquestionable desires to serve and protect the interest of all Nigerians.” He said Nigerians “must not allow those who brought the country to its kneels from 1999 to 2015 to come and take us back.” While appreciating those who pulled resources together to purchase his nomination form, Buhari assured them and rest of Nigerians that if nominated, and consequently elected, “I shall continue to serve you to the best of my abilities.” He, however, appealed to all the members of the ruling APC “not to be complacent, but to prepare, strategise and win 2019 elections.” In his reaction, National Chairman of the party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, assured the president that the APC, under his leadership, has credible and verifiable persons to conduct direct primaries on the basis of membership register.
He said: “Before I am misunderstood or misquoted, it goes to saying that in spite of the fact that we have these credible membership register, it does not in any way nullify or change the decisions of NEC with regards to the flexibility that was agreed to.
The NWC will strive to give practical expression as transparently as possible so that this party will not only be the largest but the smartest, the most 0democratic and most cohesive.” While speaking on the ongoing membership registration of the APC, Oshiomhole confirmed that the party now has about 15.6 million members.
“We want to present to you some of the effort we have been making since our assumption of office.
We promised to activate the membership data, update it, register more members because party is a mass movement and to be able talk about the size of our party, we need to have evidence that can be verified by members and all.
“We have taken advantage of modern technology to produce what we think is the best or the first in Nigeria.
As at last week when they started printing the membership register, we now have about 15.6million registered APC members across the country.
The system has been designed in such a way that from the comfort of any member’s seating room, you can crosscheck your membership and membership of any one you want to verify without any effort.
“Mr. President, this card which I am proud to say cannot easily be forged or duplicated or printed by roadside printers.
We are very proud of this achievement because it fits into our mantra of change.
“We now have a digital membership register.
The card will expire December 31, 2023.
It is our belief that by then, technology would have improved and we will be able to improve on the card.
“You have to pay N100 to acquire this because we have to pay for it.
For the purpose of a direct primary, every member coming to vote will show his membership card which must correspond with the details on the register before he can vote.
We decided display these openly so that people will know that we have basis to conduct direct primary based on a membership register.
PDP Meanwhile, the PDP has cautioned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over purported plan to postpone the 2019 polls, warning President Buhari against staying beyond May 2019.
But INEC has dismissed the media report as incorrect and assured that no such plan to postpone the exercise.
In a statement signed yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, “PDP cautioned the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof.
Mahmood Yakubu not to allow the APC and the Buhari Presidency to use him to execute their plots to frustrate the conduct of credible 2019 elections and push for illegal tenure elongation for President Buhari.
It also revealed that, “PDP is aware that the mooting of postponement of the already scheduled general elections by the INEC chairman is a product of series of clandestine meetings between his commission and the APC on ways to frustrate the 2019 elections, having realised that there is no hope for President Buhari in the polls.
“Nigerians and the international community have also noted the various ploys by INEC to frustrate a credible elections, including its stiff opposition to the amendment of the Electoral Act by the National Assembly to check APC rigging plans in addition to its exposed collaborations with INEC to manipulate the voters register, enrol underage voters and secretly creating 30,000 illegal polling centers in certain remote areas from where it plans to allocate fictitious votes to the APC.”