President Muhammadu Buhari has reassured members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) of his support for the party’s presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election.
This was conveyed in a Wednesday statement signed by his Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu.
The reassurance came amid insinuations that some APC chieftains in the seat of power were clandestinely backing the presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
It was learnt that the same chieftains had unsuccessfully pushed to make Senate President, Senator Ahmad Lawan the APC presidential flagbearer.
However, the president said he remained a “disciplined soldier” of the APC and would only support the party’s candidates for the 2023 general election.
The statement titled, ‘For 2023, No Villa Candidates, Only APC Candidates’, Buhari distanced himself from decamped APC members still in court against official candidates of the party for the election.
“The Presidency wishes to put it on record and at the same time reassure faithful party members that President Muhammadu Buhari remains a “disciplined statesman/soldier” of the All Progressives Congress, APC and will, in all the coming elections, support only those candidates fielded by the party and no other.
“This is a warning to decamped party members and others who are still in court against official candidates of the APC that they are on their own and nobody outside the party should link what they are doing to President Buhari.
“The President wishes to be quoted as saying that he is the ‘occupant of the high office of the President by the Grace of God who used the instrumentality of the APC to bring him to power with a historic verdict in 2015.” In 2019, He returned him with a bigger majority. For the first time, a non-PDP government came to power with a huge majority after 16 years of the Fourth Republic. His constant refrain is:
“‘I will not betray or undermine my party by supporting candidates other than those of the APC.
“‘My stand is not against any particular candidate. However, it is clear that only those candidates fielded by the All Progressives Congress, APC, will enjoy my support and I will campaign for him or her. Furthermore, we welcome the support for our candidates from all corners of the country.’
The President said he would continue to support the party at all levels to enforce discipline and success.
He also directed officials in and around the Presidential Villa and all those engaging in loose talk to desist from making untrue and unfounded statements that would not help the party in any way.