Opposition parties to meet over Buhari’s re-election decision

Chairmen of some registered political parties in the country on Monday in Abuja said it was the right of President Muhammadu Buhari to seek presidential re-election in 2019 if he so wished.

The chairmen told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that there was nothing wrong with the president’s declaration of ambition for 2019.

The National Chairman of National Unity Party (NUP), Perry Opara, said it was good that Mr Buhari announced his re-election bid.

“As leader of a coalition of political parties, I will call a meeting of national chairmen of parties so that we can assess the situation and agree on the next line of action,” Mr Opara, who is also Secretary General of Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), said.

The National Chairman of the Accord Party, Muhammed Nalado, said “Buhari has done the right thing by declaring his ambition. It is constitutional.

“Buhari is the incumbent president of Nigeria. He represented a political party in 2015 and he won. So, he has every right to run for second term.

“It is his constitutional right; I don’t have any objection to it.”

Asked if it was advisable for him to seek re-election in spite of advises from political leaders to him not to re-contest, Mr Nalado, who is also the national chairman of IPAC, said his declaration was in order.

He added that “in politics, there is nothing like 100 per cent support; some will support you, others will not.”

Mr Nalado said Mr Buhari remained a presidential aspirant until the All Progressives Congress (APC) made him its flag bearer.

The National Chairman of Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) Garshon Benson, said “Buhari has the right to contest like every other Nigerian.”

Mr Benson said while it was Mr Buhari’s right to seek re-election, the decision of who became APC candidate lied with the party, and who became Nigeria’s president would be decided by Nigerians through the polls.

He added that “for me, the man is qualified, it is his right to re-contest if he thinks he has performed well to win the mandate of Nigerians. It is now left for his party whether to become APC candidate or not.

“We in other parties are going to present our candidates for Nigerians to decide. If the citizens now say he has done well and he should continue that will be it.’’

Benson, however said the most important thing was to allow the 2019 general elections to be free, fair and credible.

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said that the declaration by Mr Buhari for a second term was an internal affairs of his party, APC

The party in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, noted that the declaration had placed Mr Buhari among the ranks of aspirants seeking to be Nigeria’s president in 2019.

(NAN)