The ruling All Progressives Congress party has adopted President Muhammadu Buhari as the party’s presidential candidate for next year’s general election.
The presidential primary is scheduled to hold on September 20, Guardian reports.
The National Secretary of the APC, Maimala Buni, while responding to questions from journalists in Abuja, however said any other member interested in the presidential race was free to pick the nomination form.
He explained that the National Executive Council (NEC) of the party had already endorsed the candidature of the president.
“Once the National Executive Committee of the party passes a vote of confidence on the president, that president stands accepted because the NEC is the highest organ of the party and it met to take the decision, where every interest was represented,” said Buni.
“So the NEC of APC has passed a vote of confidence on our president and that means every APC member has endorsed him.”
He also said the decision was not new, pointing out that it was the same standard that was obtainable in advanced democracies.
The APC chief said:
“In advanced democracies, once the NEC of a party passes the vote of confidence on the president, nobody contests against the president. The president has been accepted.”
Buni also said the president would be given the right of first refusal, adding that having accepted the nomination form, it means that he is the party’s presidential candidate in next year’s election.
As at close of the collection of nomination forms yesterday, Buhari was the only aspirants that had the forms. The submission of the forms closes today.
