Buhari May Emerge APC Consensus Candidate for 2019 Election

• Don’t malign president over N’Assembly invasion, House caucus tells PDP

Francis Sardauna in Katsina and James Emejo in Abuja

There are indications that the All Progressives Congress (APC) may have reached an agreement in principle to nominate President Muhammadu Buhari as its consensus candidate for the 2019 general election.

His comment came as the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, has cautioned the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) not to take undue advantage of the unlawful invasion of the National Assembly by security operatives to malign President Buhari and the APC.

Also, the National Chairman of APC, Adams Oshiomhole, yesterday berated those criticising Buhari, and described them as corrupt syndicates and thieves.

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yussuff Lasun, gave the hint on possible consensus candidate thursday.

He said:”As at today, the party in principle has agreed that Buhari is going to be our candidate in 2019; I said in principle because when the date of the primaries is now finally announced, we are just going there to approve Buhari as a consensus candidate.”

On his part, Gbajabiamila has cautioned members of the main opposition party not to take undue advantage of the unlawful invasion of the National Assembly by security operatives to malign President Buhari and APC.
Condemning the blockade, he said no single member of the ruling party would accept a rape of democracy.

Addressing journalists after a closed-door meeting of the APC Caucus in the lower chamber, the leader, who was flanked by Lasun and other members, said Buhari was unaware of the blockade of the parliament, which was why he promptly acted by approving the removal of the former Director General of the Department of State Security (DSS), Mr. Lawal Daura.

He added that rather than cast blame, everyone, particularly the House PDP Caucus, should exercise restraint and await the outcome of the investigation into the invasion to be able to determine what actually happened.

He regretted that members of the main opposition party had given partisan colouration to the siege.
“And that’s where we depart.”

“We all stand together to defend democracy. Nobody will accept what happened. But don’t use the opportunity of what happened to malign the party or the president.

“Buhari didn’t know what happened and that’s why he acted the way he did,” he said.
Lasun, also noted that since 2015, the APC has remained a majority in both the House and Senate.

Meanwhile, Oshiomhole has described those criticising Buhari’s economic policies as corrupt syndicates and thieves.
He argued that they were saboteurs bent on promoting lies to resist the change mantra being introduced by the Buhari-led administration aimed at alleviating the plights of Nigerians.

Oshiomhole, who was speaking at the party’s mega rally at Kangiwa Square in Daura, Katsina State, said the critics were misguiding Nigerians so that things would continue the way they have been during the previous administration when ‘looting’ was the order of the day in Nigeria.

According to him, “Buhari’s critics are saboteurs and thieves of a government that is working hard to clean the augean stable of the mess created by the previous administration in Nigeria.”

Addressing APC stalwarts at the rally, the acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, said for democratic dividends to thrive in the country, Nigerians must cast their votes for APC candidates.

Osinbajo urged the people of Katsina North senatorial district to vote Hon. Ahmed Baba Kaita to represent them at the red chamber.