President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on Wednesday, met behind closed doors with governors of the All Progressives Congress over the forthcoming National Convention of the party, slated for March 26.
The president, who reiterated his stand on consensus candidates, directed that “all those who have bought forms indicating interest and have been dropped should have their money refunded without delay”.
Some of the topics he covered with the governors were as follows:
- Our objective was National Salvation when we got together over eight years ago to create the All Progressives Congress, our commitment was unwavering, and our motive was patriotic and honorable.
- As a result, with God’s grace, we were victorious in the 2015 General Elections in a free and fair election.
- Over the previous seven years, we have worked hard to ensure that the country has strong governance. We’ve ensured national food security, built modern infrastructure to jumpstart economic growth, and enacted the most extensive social welfare programs in our country’s history.
- Along the way, our party has survived shocks and attempts to derail it. Our government has also had to endure the worst economic crisis with the free fall of oil prices from an average of $100 per barrel over 15 years of PDP government to an average of $30 – $50 until the recent energy crisis.
- We need to remind ourselves of these achievements and not be diverted by petty quarrels and unseemly jockeying for positions. It will be a very sad and regrettable development if these manifest gains are frittered away as a result of internal dissent and rivalry. We must avoid narrow focus and inordinate personal ambitions at the expense of our party’s common good. We must stop frivolous and diversionary litigation when the Party’s reconciliation processes are available for settling disputes.
- We must restore sanity and purpose in the affairs of our party and lead ourselves to victory and safety.
- As I remarked when I met Your Excellencies on February 22nd, our aim must be to hand over to an APC Government at the Center and the great majority of states. We must not, by default, allow the PDP to get its dirty hands-on Government again and return us to the Stone Age,
- As I said at that meeting, our Party chose its leadership by consensus. I again plead that we choose our next leadership by consensus. This is consistent with the spirit of democracy, the Party’s Constitution and the Nigerian Constitution.
- I have already given my own input and other recommendations on the way forward in both my 25th February, 2022 meeting with the Chairman of the Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Committee and my 13th March, 2022 letter to the Chairman of the APC Governors Forum.
- With the convention only two days away I implore you to come together and sort out all the remaining party positions so that within the next 24 hours we can arrive at a Unity List which we can take to the convention.
- Finally, all those who have bought forms indicating interest and have been dropped should have their money refunded without delay.
