Buhari solidly behind APC candidates, says spokesman

MEMBERS of the All Progressives Congress (APC) got a reassurance yesterday from President Muhammadu Buhari that he is fully behind the party and its candidates across the country.

The President, who spoke through his Special Assistant on Media & Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, said he has demonstrated his support everywhere he had gone to campaign.

He was making a clarification in the wake of insinuations that President Buhari sat on the fence when he took his campaign to Owerri, the Imo State capital.

The President was reported to have told party members in the state that they were free to cast their ballot for any candidate of their choice in the forthcoming governorship election.

But Shehu dismissed the report, saying it was untrue that President Buhari did not show full support for the APC while campaigning in Imo State on Tuesday.

The presidential spokesman described as unfortunate that the report has unsettled the party in the state, pitting some members against Governor Rochas Okorocha.

He told reporters: “The massive crowd that gathered to welcome President Buhari in Imo State was made up of not only supporters of the APC in the state, but also supporters of other parties who are united by their love for the President and their desire to see him re-elected, despite the local candidates they support.”

Shehu explained that President Buhari’s consciousness of the obviously-mixed crowd was the reason why he did not speak only about support for the APC during the campaign, but also encouraged the people to vote according to their consciences.

A statement by the Deputy Director of Information, State House, Attah Esa, quoted the presidential spokesman, saying: “While President Buhari is fully behind APC, he welcomes endorsements from those who do not belong to the ruling party but is also sensitive to their support for non-APC candidates at the local level. It would have been insensitive of him to offend his non-APC supporters by ignoring their local affiliations.”

Shehu noted that President Buhari’s open endorsement of Imo APC governorship candidate Hope Uzodinma, whose hand the President raised high before the crowd at the campaign rally, said it all.

“President Buhari is for the APC in every state and there is no doubt about that, despite his immense cross-party support,” he said.

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday expressed confidence that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will sweep Cross River State in the upcoming elections.

Buhari, who spoke at the UJ Esuene Stadium in Calabar, the state capital as part of his Presidential campaign, said he would be consistent with the promise he made in 2015 of improving the economy, fighting insecurity and tackling corruption.

Buhari, who arrived at the venue around 5pm, also assured that all APC governors are under the control of the party.

He said: “We are very confident that we would win all the elections in Cross River State. I assure you that the promise we made in 2015, we have made substantial progress in security, economy and the fight against corruption.

“We are working hard and the results are visible for those who want to be honest to themselves in Nigeria and Africa. I don’t have must to say than to thank you very much.”

He also expressed gratitude to the Obong of Calabar, Edidem Ekpo Okon Abasi Otu V, for acknowledging the efforts of his administration when he paid him a visit in his Palace earlier.