From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja

Former National Secretary of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Dr Sani Abdulahi Shinkafi, has declared interest to contest for the vacant All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman.

Shinkafi, in a letter to declare his interest he made available at the weekend in Abuja, hinged his resolve on the pressure from political associates and friends, urging him to run for the APC plumb job.

Titled; ‘Notification of my intention to contest for the office of the National Chairman of our great party, APC’, Shinkafi wrote; “after wide consultations and discussions with my family, friends and political associates, I have decided to heed the call to contest for the office of the National Chairman of our great party the APC.

“With my wide experience as the immediate past National Secretary of APGA and the immediate past Secretary of the Board of Trustees of APGA, I believe that I have what it takes to run the affairs of the APC. I would want to continue with the great job done by the Acting National Chairman Governor Mai Mala Bunu in re-organizing and making the party the greatest party in Nigeria, ” he wrote.

On his blueprint for the job, he declared: “If elected I will ensure that the values that birthed the party in 2014 are preserved. I would also ensure that the era of impunity and imposition of candidates against the will of the party’s teaming followers is gone.

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“This is the time to make hard and only decision that will serve in the interest of the general members even at the least level must be the only way out.

“In its bid to retain power in the forthcoming general elections in Nigeria in 2023, there is urgent need for the party to look beyond personal interest to set its house in order by first of all ensuring that only a credible hand is ushered in to lead the party as the next National Chairman.

“The party came with sound policies and programmes that would have salvaged the country but the party’s dream was short-lived because the forces that are not progressives joined the party through the backdoors only to win elections.

“The internal functions and wrangling within the ruling party made it to loss elections in Bauchi, Adamawa, Edo and Zamfara states among others apart from many legislative seats both at the states and National Assembly levels that were dashed away as results of poor handling of the party’s 2018 primaries,” he added.

Speaking further, Shinkafi pointed out that; “the party currently needs a leader who commands respect among his contemporaries, a man whose mind is bounded by reconciliatory traits and a young and energetic man who is determined to pay a price for APC to survive against his personal interest. it will never be a plea bargain where personal interest supersede personal interest.

“The emergence of the ruling party from many political parties and subsequent defections at the aftermath of 2015 elections has been identified as some of the reasons why the party failed to implement its initial manifesto to get Nigeria on the right track again. The APC has very sound policies and programmes that are practicable, aimed at changing the fortunes of Nigerians and can only be sustained if an individual who shared the party’s traits are allowed to lead as the National Chairman,” he said.