Buhari supports Abubakar Audu over role in his emergence as President

•President to lead 22 APC governors to final rally

President Muhammadu Buhari has said he supported the candidacy of Prince Abubakar Audu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) standard-bearer.

President Buhari

Buhari, in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, dissociated his office from an advertorial published by a faction of the APC in the state alleging that Audu was not Buhari’s preferred candidate in the primary election.

Noting that Audu emerged through a democratic process endorsed by the party leadership, the statement  said the President was aware of Audu’s outstanding role in his emergence as the APC presidential candidate, adding that it was incumbent on all  forces to rally round Audu to effect the change in the state.

The statement reads:

“President Muhammadu Buhari harbours nothing but good wishes for Prince Abubakar Audu, the APC governorship candidate in Kogi State.

“As a democrat himself, the President has nothing but respect for the outcome of the Kogi primaries.

“Democracy is about the people’s choice, and so whoever the voters have chosen to represent them, that is the person the President will support.

“There are long years of fruitful political association between President Buhari and Prince Audu, as a result of which the President cannot but wish the governorship candidate well.

“The President is aware of ex-Governor Audu’s outstanding role in the processes leading to his emergence as the APC presidential candidate, followed by his emergence as the elected president of the country.”

President Buhari, the statement said, counselled  “the leaders of the APC in Kogi against petty differences, urging them to focus more on bigger issues of party growth and development, and to close ranks to do all that is lawful to ensure the victory of the APC candidates.

“On account of party interest alone, the forces in Kogi politics need to rally round our candidate to complete the process of Change, which began with APC’s victory in the National Assembly elections in the state. Kogi should not be missing from the Change sweeping across the country.”

President Buhari will lead 22 governors of the APC to the final rally of the Kogi State APC governorship candidate, Prince Audu.

He was unable to attend the launch of the campaign and flag presentation to the standard-bearer at the weekend.

The President, it was said, called the National Chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, from India that the campaign launch be postponed to enable him attend and galvanise support for Audu, but Oyegun reportedly prevailed on him to allow the event to go ahead, saying there was no time left, as the election was about three weeks away and the party needed to go round the 21 local governments.

A source said: “President Buhari then agreed that the event should hold.”

The National Leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed and the Southwest APC governors, who were billed to fly into the state for the event, could not make it, following the death of Mai Borgu, Haliru Dantoro, who died last Friday in Germany.

The monarch was an intimate friend and confidant of Asiwaju Tinubu, who was conferred with the title of ‘Jagagban Borgu’ by the late traditional ruler.

It was said that Asiwaju Tinubu was devastated by the monarch’s death.

The campaign launch attracted dignitaries across the country.

Those in attendance included Chief Oyegun, NEC members, Senator Shuiabu Lawal, Hajia Ramatu Aliyu Tijana and the governors of Imo, Benue and Nasarawa states.

Others were the former governor of Kano State, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and the deputy governors of Adamawa, Kwara and Niger.

Buhari supports Abubakar Audu over role in his emergence as President