Buhari submit forms to contest 2019 presidency

President Muhamnadu Buhari has appealed to members of the All progressives Congress(APC) not to be complacent but to prepare, strategise and win the 2019 general elections.

He made the appeal at the APC National Secretariat in Abuja on Wednesday while submitting his Expression of Interest and Nomination forms to contest the presidency in 2019.

Buhari, while submitting the forms, said; “I m here in person among friends and colleagues to put my name forward to my party, the APC, seeking nomination to contest the presidential election in 2019.

“I am taking this step with all humility, sense of responsibility and unquestionable desire to serve and protect the interest of all Nigerians.

“Let me today, appeal to party members not to be complacent but to prepare, strategise and win 2019 elections.

“We must not allow those who brought the country to its kneels from 1999 to 2015 to come and take us back.”

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the forms were purchased for the president by the Nigeria Consolidation Ambassadors’ Network on Sept. 6. at the cost of 45 million.

Buhari had in April declared his intention to seek re-election at the APC National Executive Committee (NEC).

Speaking on why the group decided to purchase the forms on behalf of the President, its National Co-coordinator, Sunusi Musa, said the President was not multi-millionaire cash wise.

“He has millions of supporters who are always ready to come together to pay for his nomination form,” Musa said.

He said the group embarked on the project based on the recognition that the President had started laying a solid foundation for a better Nigeria and as such, deserved a second term in office.

He expressed gratitude to those who contributed toward the purchase of the forms.

Buhari assured Nigerians that if nominated and re-elected in 2019, he would continue to serve the people to the best of his abilities.

Mr Adams Oshiomhole, the APC National Chairman used the opportunity of the occasion to present to Buhari his new party membership card.

He also told the president that the APC under his leadership took advantage of modern technology to come up with a new membership data base.

The national chairman said that the party currently had 15.6 million registered members.

“Today, to talk about the size of our party, the largest party in the world and in Africa, we need to have evidence that can be verified by a third party or by members.

“We have taken advantage of technology to produce what I believe is the best or the first in Nigeria.

“We now have as at last week when they started printing membership register, about 15.6 million registered APC members across the country, ”he said.

The national chairman also said that the party membership data base was designed to ensure that membership status of anyone could easily be verified at the touch of a bottom.

Oshiomhole said that with the development, the party had credible and verifiable persons to conduct direct primaries on the basis of its membership register.

He, however, said that despite the fact that the party had credible membership register, it did not in any way nullify or change the decisions of its National Executive Committee (NEC) at its sixth meeting.

This, he said, was with regards to the flexibility that was agreed to at that NEC meeting.

He stressed that the APC National Working Committee (NEC) would however, strive to give practical expression as transparently as possible.

This, he said was to ensure that APC would not only be the largest, but also the smartest, most democratic and most cohesive party in Africa.