AHEAD of the 2023 Presidential elections, President Muhammadu Buhari has said that he would not play the role of a king maker in the choice of his succesor, stressing that anyone aspiring to serve will emerge from his ward.
The President also said that he tried about three times to contest for President before he emerged, and so anyone that wants to become the next president should also work for it.
He warned the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, that if they are unable to settle their disagreement before its convention, the opposition party will take over in 2023.
President Buhari, who stated the above in an interview with the Nigerian Television Authority, NTA, aired on Thursday night said that it was his hope to leave the country in 2023 when he must have served out his tenure more secured than what it is presently.
The President also faulted the impression in some quarters that anyone that joins the ruling APC, even if the person has corruption charges against him or her, the person’s sins will be forgiven.
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According to him, “Joining the APC is no guarantee to escape prosecution if you are corrupt.”
Asked on his position over the disagreement within the APC on the issue of the convention and the threat by some go to court to ensure that the convention doesn’t hold, he said:
“My own position is simple. I think I succeeded in trying to get my position understood in the sense that I said we start from bottom upward, from the polling units, to wards, to local government, to state and then to Abuja. So it is the party because I am only concerned about my party. The party in all constituencies, they will know that their convention is coming up and therefore when they come to Abuja, they are likely to act together.
“There is no king maker from Abuja that will say take this or take that, no constituency is to be dictated to, all the constituencies are supposed to produce their leadership in our party, what other parties do is their own business. But we want to make sure that our party members understand that they are respected from polling units, to wards, to local government, to state and up to Abuja. So those who want to be elected at any level let them work for it, nobody is going to appoint anybody.
Further asked if the current issues in APC will be resolved and the convention still go ahead, he responded:
“Well, we have time frame, we have to work because the four year circle is constitutional It cannot be interferred by anybody. So if the party couldn’t agree, then the opposition can take over.
“What did the PDP do? They saw that they can’t together but when ACN, ANPP, CPC, APGA came together before PDP realized it they were off, they are still off, so they can see it.”
