2019: Buhari will obey APC’s constitution in second term emergence ―Bamidele

A member of the seventh House of Representatives and All Progressives Congress (APC), in Ekiti State, Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, said that President Muhammadu Buhari will not do anything outside the dictates of the constitution to emerge the presidential candidate of the party in 2019.

Bamidele, in a statement on Thursday, said: “He will further distinguish the President as a thorough-bred democrat who believes that sovereignty lies with the electorate.”

The governorship aspirant in Ekiti State expressed confidence that President Buhari would still defeat other interested aspirants to win the primary, if the national executive council of the party didn’t adopt him as the sole candidate.

According to him, the APC must learn from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), self-destruct before the 2015 presidential election, saying “before that election, former Governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido and the son of the late Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa were interested but the party decided to adopt Dr Jonathan as the PDP’s sole candidate.”

He said: “Though, President Buhari enjoyed electrifying popularity at that time but poor management of that crisis also affected the PDP. So, the APC must learn a lesson from that.

“Taking cognisance of the wars President Buhari has waged against corruption and Boko Haram insurgency and the reposition of the already recessed economy when he took off, one can’t doubt the fact that he merits re-election, even automatic ticket but the party has a process through which a candidate must emerge.

“President Buhari emerges through the product of the law and the law must apply for him to seek re-election to avert crisis in our party, because experience they say is the best teacher. We shouldn’t take the perilous path taken by PDP.”

He contended that if Buhari ruled the country for eight years, he will stabilise the country in terms of security and economic development.

“Let the APC hold the primary ten times, ten times President Buhari will win. APC stands on a tripod- Buhari, Tinubu and members of the party and all the three are backing him and his government, so there is no cause for alarm.”

Bamidele urged Chief John Oyegun-led National Working Committee to correct the mistakes noticed in the APC at the Anambra election, during the party’s primary in Ekiti.

“Some members, particularly Senator Andy Uba expressed disapproval over the conduct of the primary. The party was right by setting up committee to do proper appraisal of the Anambra election, so that the party can do better in the handling of Ekiti election.”