Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has warned that if the leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress fails to put its house in order on time, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party will take over in the country’s forthcoming 2023 general elections.
He noted that there will be no kingmaker roles in the party, and all aspirants must work hard to earn their ranks.
Buhari said this in an interview with state-owned Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), which was aired on Thursday evening.
Speaking on the APC National Convention earlier slated for February 2022, the President said the party must work within the timeframe available, determine a substantive leadership, and chart its course ahead of the 2023 elections; otherwise, it risks being displaced by the opposition.
He said, “We have a time frame; we have to work around it because the four-year cycle is constitutional. It cannot be interfered with by anybody. So, if the party cannot agree, then the opposition will take over.
“What did the PDP do? They thought that the opposition could not come together. But when ACN, ANPP, CPC, APGA came together, before PDP realised it, they were off. They are still off.
Asked whether he, as an influential figure in the party, will appoint roles to specific persons or anoint any candidates, Buhari, who said he is not a kingmaker, affirmed that aspirants will have to earn their badge this time.
“My position is simple. I think I succeeded in making my position understood. I said that we start from the bottom-up, from polling units to wards, local government, state, and Abuja.
“So that the party—because I am concerned about my party—members will know that they can earn their position coming up. So when they come to Abuja, they are likely to work together.
“There is no kingmaker from Abuja. No constituency is being dictated upon by the national leadership. All constituencies are supposed to produce their leadership in our party.
“What other parties do is their own business. We have to make sure that our party members understand that they are respected, from polling units, wards, local governments, states and up to Abuja.
“So those who want to be elected to any level, let them work for it. Nobody is going to appoint anybody.”
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