Buhari Resists Pressure to Drop Presidential Bid

Buhari Resists Pressure to Drop Presidential Bid

Former military Head of State, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari, appears to have ignored entreaties from advocates of a generational shift to step aside and anoint a younger aspirant to carry the flag of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in next year’s presidential contest.
Apart from going ahead to put finishing touches to his October 8 formal declaration of his bid for the presidency, Buhari’s loyalists have continued to mobilise support from every segment of the party towards the realisation of his ambition.
One of such moves is today’s plan by the former head of state to address a collection of several youth support groups from various parts of Abuja
However, one of the groups working towards the realisation of Kano State Governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso’s presidential bid, the Kwakwasiyya Forum, has remained unrelenting in its call on Buhari to forgo his fourth attempt to become Nigeria’s president.
The group has again appealed to Buhari to set aside his ambition and back their younger aspirant (Kwankwaso) for the presidency.
Kwakwasiyya also believes that the fierce contest that is certain to ensue between the duo of Buhari and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar may tear APC apart if they insist on fighting for the ticket of the party.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja yesterday through its Edo State coordinator, Mr. Francis Ikonomwan, the pro-Kwankwaso group said it had started working round the clock to reach out to the delegates and ensure that Kwankwaso emerge as APC’s presidential standard bearer.
“We want a paradigm shift; we want a change from the old order and this is why people are clamouring for a realistic change. We have looked at the track record and Kwankwaso is the man that actually meets the demands of the people.
“As for Alhaji Atiku, he has lost integrity, you may see people around him, they are hired crowds. Nigerians don’t want him. On General Buhari, he is a man we used to respect, he is a man Nigerians hold in high esteem, but we are surprised that he will be declaring next week.
“Remember he told us after the 2011 elections that he will not contest again and we expect him to stick to his words as a man of integrity. If he contests again, that shows that he is no longer a man of integrity.
“I want to say that the ambitions of Atiku and General Buhari will tear APC apart. What is best for them is to come behind a younger person and no other person than Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso,” he said.
The group also asked the leaders of APC not to give room for the imposition of candidates at all levels, adding that this was capable of undermining the fortunes of the party.