Contrary to a statement by the Minister of Women Affairs, Aisha
Alhassan, that Muhammadu Buhari promised the All Progressives Congress
(APC) that he will not run for a second term,
the national chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, has said that no one but the president alone can decide if he’ll run or not.
the national chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, has said that no one but the president alone can decide if he’ll run or not.
Alhassan, had on
Wednesday, while declaring she will support former Vice President Atiku
Abubakar as president in 2019 even if Buhari decides to run, alleged
that President Buhari told the APC before contesting for president in
2015, that he would only seek one term in office.
Apparently
ignoring the claim by Alhassan, Odigie-Oyegun said that at the
appropriate time President Buhari will disclose his intention towards a
second term.
He stated this when he spoke to newsmen in Benin City
on Thursday, adding that one of the greatest achievements of the
Buhari-led administration was ensuring that the county exited recession
as recently announced by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
The
APC chairman went further to express optimism that the Buhari-led
government of the party will make more progress before the 2019
presidential election.
“The decision, whether our President will
run for a second term, is a decision only President Buhari can make, and
he will make it at the proper time. For now, he still has nearly two
years of painful, strenuous reconstruction of the Nigerian economy and
all the other promises he made both in anti-corruption and on security
is still serious work in progress.
“At the proper time, he will decide, and at the proper time, the APC will decide and the public will know,” he said.
Asked
to comment on the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) description
of APC as a failure and boasting to return to power in 2019,
Odigie-Oyegun said, “They are allowed to continue on their dreams, they
are just coming out from intensive care unit. So they need a lot of
nurturing, so this is good for their ego.”
