Buhari 2019

NEC didn’t endorse Buhari for second term, says APC

Olubode Olusesan / 2 hours ago

John Alechenu and Chidiebube Okeoma

The All Progressives Congress said on Wednesday that what the party’s National Executive Committee did at its last meeting, was to pass a vote of confidence in President Muhammadu Buhari and the Chief John Odigie-Oyegun-led National Working Committee.

This, the APC said, was not the same as endorsing the President for a second term.

The party explained that the issue of endorsing the President for a second term did not form part of discussions during the NEC meeting.

The National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said this in a telephone interview with The PUNCH, in Abuja, on Wednesday.

In response to a question on whether the endorsement of Buhari for a second term in 2019 was part of decisions taken during the party’s last NEC meeting, Abdullahi said, “No.”

He added, “You will recall that the Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, addressed this issue while responding to a question on the issue of 2019 at yesterday (Tuesday’s) briefing when he said, the President has not said he wants to contest and that for now, his focus is on the issue of governance, so the issue of endorsing him (President) for a second term in 2019 did not arise.”

Reuters had early on Wednesday, quoted two unnamed APC leaders as saying the APC National Executive Committee of the APC had endorsed President Buhari to seek re-election.

In another development, the National Chairman of the governing APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, on Wednesday said it was normal for party members to express contrary opinions on the decision of the party’s NEC to extend the tenure of party executives at all levels.

Odigie-Oyegun said this while speaking with reporters in his office, in Abuja, on Wednesday.

He was reacting to a question on the views expressed by some party members denouncing the decision to extend the tenure of the APC NEC and party executives at all levels