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Friday, March 29, 2024

The Party Is Supreme – Buhari

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***as Tinubu, Osibanjo, Akande stay away from NEC

 

MAKING veiled references to the challenges confronting the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the National Assembly, President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday appealed that all members should shield their ambition and subordinate to the party.

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Buhari while addressing the first National Executive Council (NEC) after the general elections, emphasised that with the efforts put into forging the alliance of opposition political parties that metamorphosed to the APC, ‎they should not at this moment embark on activities that would disintegrate pre-election cohesiveness.

 

The well-attended meeting witnessed some APC members protesting outside the party secretariat, chanting songs that nobody should override party supremacy.

 

It was also observed that the party’s national leader, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu and Vice-President Yomi Osibanjo did not attend the meeting.

 

Some of the national leaders in attendance were: Chief Ogbonaya Onu, Chief Tony Momoh, Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun state, Ibrahim Gaidam of Yobe state,   Alhaji Bello Masari of Kastina state, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto state, Alh. Bello Bagudau of Bauchi state, Edo governor, Kano governor, the Senate President Bukola Saraki, Speaker, House of Representative Hon. Yakubu Dogara, Bindo of Adamawa, governor Ambode of Lagos state,

 

Said Buhari: “I have already addressed you through the chairman, through the leadership of the party, through your excellencies, the governors and through our Senators and House of Representatives members.

 

“The APC must not disappoint its constituency, thats the nation state. We have to convince our various constituencies that we are individually worthy of the sacrifices that they have made.

They stayed awake day and night, travelling all over the country and made sure as a party,we emerged victorious. What subsequently happened is human, and as human beings we are not perfect, but let our collective actions in this party prove that we have won the elections, the battle and we will win the war.

 

“As for me as a president, I have to clearly understand the constitution of the federal republic of nigeria, the constitution of APC, and having tried three times and successfully lost three times and successfully ending up at the Supreme Court.

I think I have tasted the bitter disappointments and the sweetness of success.

 

“What happened to APC must be given to God Almighty. The opposition party, has ruled the country for sixteen years, with all the treasuries, literally in their pockets and all the coercing forces and their command, under their command they still meekly conceded defeat. We congratulate them for that.

 

Alluding to the emergence of Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara as Senate President and Speaker House of Representatives respectively, which have polarised the APC, Buhari reminded them that “human action are not perfect; let our collective actions prove that we have won the battle anbd will eventually win the war.

 

“As for me the President, I have to understand the constitution. I have successfully contested election three times; successfully lost three times and also successfully lost three times at the Supreme court and I think I have the experience. What happened to the APC shows that we won by the power of the almighty God”.

 

Providing further credence, he told them that with all the forces at their command, PDP would not have conceded defeat and congratulated them for the courage.

 

Stressing further the need for party supremacy, Buhari stated: “INEC was constituted with clear terms of references: to register political associations as political parties and whoever wants to contest election must have a platform, hence the superiority of the parties and that is our platform and APC has been down lucky.

 

“The way the opposition parties then realised and accepted that the only way to remove PDP from government was for us to come together: CPC, ANPP, APGA, we agreed with our colleagues in APGA and PDP to be far away until we conclude the negotiations and get the party registered  and thereafter they can join us and Governor Rochas Okorocah was a leading light in all these discussions.

 

“At every point, we worked with committee of nine with the three parties nominating three each and for the first time, INEC sent the application back and said we must have at least 25 people with geo-political spread before they can register us.

 

“If they wanted to be bloody, they would have kept dribbling us and eventually we got 35 people with Chief Bisi Akande as our interim chairman with dexterity and patriotism. After that, we ended up with the convention and emerged victorious at the election.

 

“I went through the history so that everybody will understand. Let us not throw this to the wind. Let us all come together and provide service to the people. I appeal in the name of God that whatever is anybody ambition, let us put is aside; let us work so that our constituencies will be happy. Let us work to satisfy our constituencies. Please, continue to work together. Please accept the superiority of the party”.

 

National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun in his remarks, noted that after their last NEC in January in Port Harcourt they had not met till yesterday  “because of preparations for the election and transition. Today’s meeting is on emergency”.

 

He reminded them that “victory was by combined efforts of stakeholders from the ward level to the national level. Noted that it was Buhari’s charisma,  incurruptibility and concern for the down trodden that provided the opportunity to chart a new course for the country, through a landslide victory at the polls.

 

“Because this meeting is of an emergency nature and because our brothers will go for prayer we should be brief in our contributions. Among the agenda we have put together for this meeting included: the ratification of the aspects of the membership of the Board of Trustees (BoT). We want to complete the composition and ensure that all organs of the party come into operation.

 

“We also have to discuss the political challenges we are passing through which we assure you will be dealt with before the National Assembly resumes”.

 

 

Full Transcription of Buhari’s speech

 

The elections have come and gone, the APC has won the battle, but lost the war. This is the paradox of democracy, and we shall see how we can manage it going forward.

 

I have already addressed you through the chairman, through the leadership of the party, through your excellencies, the governors and through our Senators and House of Representatives members.

 

The APC must not disappoint its constituency, thats the nation state. We have to convince our various constituencies that we are individually worthy of the sacrifices that they have made.

They stayed awake day and night, travelling all over the country and made sure as a party,we emerged victorious. What subsequently happened is human, and as human beings we are not perfect, but let our collective actions in this party prove that we have won the elections, the battle and we will win the war.

 

As for me as a president, I have to clearly understand the constitution of the federal republic of nigeria, the constitution of APC, and having tried three times and successfully lost three times and successfully ending up at the Supreme Court.

I think I have tasted the bitter disappointments and the sweetness of success.

 

What happened to APC must be given to God Almighty. The opposition party, has ruled the country for sixteen years, with all the treasuries, literally in their pockets and all the coercing forces and their command, under their command they still meekly conceded defeat. We congratulate them for that.

 

I clearly understand the constitution from which INEC was developed with clear terms of reference and one of its important responsibilities is to register political associations as political parties, and whoever wants to participate in elective office as a Nigerian must seek a platform.that platform is the political party, hence, the superior state of the parties. APC has been damn lucky., if I can use that. The way the opposition parties realized, agreed and accepted that the only way through which we can be in the system is for us to come together. The ACN,the ANPP, the CPC, APGA and DPP wanted to come to participate fully in the negotiation,but they have court cases at various levels, and we suspected that if we allow them to participate actively in the negotiation for merger, there being in court cam cause either delay or deny us registration.

So we persuaded our colleagues in APGA and DPP that please stay out of the negotiation, but when we eventually get the registration,they can join in block or individually.

Along the line, I assure you that nothing is done by impulse in our process to merger. There have been various committees, quite a number of you sitting here have been members of committees either leading them or being a member and we agreed. At some stage or the earlier stages,we agreed that nine people should form the interim committee, thats the national chairmen of the parties, the secretaries and the treasurers . We thought we have done a wonderful work, so we sent our application. For the first time in this sixteen or twelve years of my participating actively , I thanked INEC for what they did to us; they sent back our application and said we must have 25 to 35 people to manage your interim if you get registration, and they must come from all the geo political zones. Why I thanked INEC in particular was because if it has been bloody minded, again ladies close your ears, if they have been bloody minded, they would have kept on raging until it was almost too late for us to get the merger. So they advised us and we sat down, we got I think 35 people to manage us and they I here personally, and on behalf of you now congratulate Chief Bisi Akande, it’s a pity he is not here, he led the interim party with dexterity and integrity. I respect his patriotism. When we got the APC name through the agreement of various committees of the respective parties, we started working from polling unit upwards, eventually we ended up in the convention which gave us the leadership of the party.

After that the election started, and again it started from the bottom top. I have gone to this extent because not all of us here participated in it and for you to reflect and thank the leadership of the party at various stages for going through all this, which is not easy. But God in his infinite mercy has helped by giving us acceptance. Let us not throw this success to the wind.

Let us as members of the APC no matter our personal differences get together and use the mandate given to us by this country. This is my personal appeal to you in the name of God. Whatever your personal interest or ambition, please keep it close to your heart and in your pocket. Let APC work, let the system work and let us have a government that will earn the respect of our constituencies.

My problem is the constituencies. I thank you very much for listening to me, and I thank the leadership across the board, and I appeal to you to please continue to work together.

Please accept the superiority of the party.  I cannot confine myself to the cage or Sambisa forest and refuse to participate in NEC or BoT. So, I respect, the superiority of the party.

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