Buhari withdraws from Presidential race, calls for unity

Former Head of State and one of the
presidential aspirants on the platform of the
All Progressives Congress (APC), General
Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), tuesday returned
his nomination form with a pledge to
continue to work for a united Nigeria.
Buhari, who came to the APC national
secretariat with just a few of his campaign
officials, thanked the party leadership for
their efforts at forging a united front ahead
of the 2015 elections.
Speaking on the recent fracas at the National
Assembly, Buhari slammed the security
agents for over-reaching their constitutional
powers by locking down the legislative
chambers.
“ It is a distressing situation where those who
are supposed to protect the constitution are
the ones undermining it. That place-House of
Representative and Senate-sacred place they
shouldn’t go there as members of law
enforcement agencies much less fire teargas
and harassing them, they are brreaking down
and undermining the constitution and if they
are doing that who is going to correct it? “
He said.
The National Chairman of APC, Chief John
Odigie Oyegun, described Buhari as one
Nigerian who has show great passion to bring
about change in the affairs in the country.
“We are glad that you are one of those
Nigerians who have offered themselves on
the platform of the APC with the vision and
passion for change and the time has come
when business has to be transacted
differently in this country. Genuine concern
for the people of this nation should become
the number one priority of any government in
this nation.
“If the good Lord had chosen you to be the
leader of this nation or any other aspirant for
that matter, it is my prayer that one of you in
the APC win the presidency,” he said.
Meanwhile, APC leadership yesterday
inaugurated six zonal screening committees
made up of five members each to undertake
the screening of the party’s governorship
aspirants ahead of the 2015 general election.
The six committees and their chairmen are
North-central - Chief Olagunsoye Onyinlola,
North-east -Senator Chris Ngige, North-west -
Malam Bolaji Abdulahi, South-east Timipre
Silva, South-south, Alhaji Tijani Gwazo and
South –west, Senator Danjuma Goje.
The screening panels are to resume work by
Wednesday..
Speaking while inaugurating the six zonal
screening committees, Oyegun said the
critical nature of the assignment of the
committee had been made even more
manifest with the events that have been
occurring in the last one week. He said the
committees are made up of quality men
whose words are taken seriously.
He said the assignment of the committee’s
was coming in critical times and as such they
should be transparent and above board.
The APC leader said the public was looking
up to them to show that APC is the agent of
change and whether the party would be truly
the agent of change for country.
According to Oyegun, the peoples’s anxiety
had become heightened because of the
insane things that have been happening
recently.
“Why should security agencies invade a
National Assembly which was convened at
the request of the presidency and in which
there is only three days that are critical to
the approval of extension of the stage of
emergency in the three trouble states?
Oyegun commended the legislators for
subjecting themselves to the integrity of
climbing the fence, adding that were it not
for such courage exhibited by the lawmakers,
may be something more biizarre things
would have happened.
He said the storming of the APC office in
Kagos only disrupted the compilation of
membership register of the party.
Oyegun added that the reasons given by the
State Security Service (SSS) “cannot just fly.
You cannot but begin to wonder what is
going on in this country.”
He charged the committees to ensure that
aspirants are friendly and accommodating in
the campaign and to also ensure that they
are all properly documented to avoid
disqualification during or after election.
While responding on behalf of other
committees, Oyinlola said they would work
diligently to deliver a good job, adding that
the committee would do a thorough job that
would make Nigerians see the difference
between APC and other parties.
Also, the Chairman of the committee in
charge of the North-east, Senator Chris
Ngige, said the party considered the
governorship seat as the second highest
position in the land and as such, the
committees would try to as much as
possible to insist on a transparent exercise.
He said the North-east committee which he
heads was considering using Abuja as
centre to screen the aspirants from the zone.
According to him, there are 21 governorship
aspirants for the APC ticket in the six states
of Borno, Adamawa, Taraba, Yobe, Bauchi
and Gombe.
Borno has only the incumbent governor who
will be seeking re-election for a second term.