President Muhammadu Buhari, has told the 11th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abuja that the party’s leaders must eschew imposition of candidates if they want the party to emerge victorious in the 2023 general election.
Buhari, yesterday, said the dictatorial behaviours of some leaders had cost the party many strategic elective positions, and led to the defection of several influential members of the party.
The assertions came as the APC NEC transferred its powers to the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) for 90 days. It was similar to what obtained during the now defunct Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) of the party led by the governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni.
That was as National Chairman of APC, Abdullahi Adamu, yesterday, decried the “cold war” between serving and former governors, claiming the situation, fuelled by ego, is tearing the party apart.
In a related development, the chairman of Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF) and Governor of Kebbi State, Atiku Bagudu, said there was no explicit discussion at yesterday’s NEC meeting on the mode of primaries to be adopted by the ruling party, even though the timetable of the party suggested it might settle for indirect primaries.