…Urges party to learn from 2015 PDP mistakes
Says, ‘President will defeat opposition party again’
From WOLE BALOGUN, Ado-Ekiti
A member of the seventh House of Representatives, Hon. Opeyemi
Bamidele, has said that President Muhammadu Buhari would not subvert
the All Progressives Congress (APC) constitution or muzzle other
aspirants to emerge the presidential candidate of the party in 2019, but allow due process to take its course.
Bamidele, apparently aligned with the position of the national leader of the APC, Asiwaju
Bola Tinubu, that due process of the law will be strictly complied
with for Buhari to seek reelection saying, “This will further
distinguish the President as a thorough-bred democrat who believes
that sovereignty lies with the electorate”.
He expressed confidence that President Buhari will defeat other
interested aspirants to win the primary, if the National Executive
Council (NEC) did not adopt him as the sole candidate.
Former Vice President Abubakar Atiku, had declared interest in the
ticket while others may likely join the fray before the primary.
In a statement in Ado-Ekiti, on Thursday, Bamidele, an APC governorship
aspirant in Ekiti State, added that the APC must learn from the
Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) self-destruct before the 2015
presidential election, which former President Goodluck Jonathan had
lost catastrophically .
“Before that election, former Governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido
and the son of the late Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa were
interested but the party decided to adopt Dr. Jonathan as the PDP’s
sole candidate.
“Though, President Buhari enjoyed electrifying popularity at that
Time, but poor management of that crisis also affected the PDP . So,
the APC must learn a lesson from that.
“Taking cognisance of the wars President Buhari has waged against
corruption and Boko Haram insurgency and the reposition of the already
recessed economy when he took off, one can’t doubt the fact that he
merits reelection, even automatic ticket but the party has a process
through which a candidate must emerge.
“President Buhari emerges through the product of the law and the law
must apply for him to seek reelection to avert crisis in our party,
because experience they say is the best teacher. We shouldn’t take the
perilous path taken by PDP”, he said .
Bamidele added that President Buhari ruling the country for eight
years will stabilize the country in terms of security and economic
development.
“Let the APC holds the primary ten times, ten times President Buhari
will win. APC stands on a tripod- Buhari, Tinubu and members of the
party and all the three are backing him and his government, so there
is no cause for alarm”.
Bamidele urged Chief John Oyegun-led National Working Committee to
correct the mistakes noticed in Anambra election, which Governor
Willie Obiano won during the party’s primary in Ekiti.
“Some members, particularly Senator Andy Uba expressed disapproval
over the conduct of the primary. The party was right by setting up
committee to do proper appraisal of the Anambra election, so that the
party can do better in the handling of Ekiti election”.