Buhari Set To Declare For Presidential Race

Barring unforeseen circumstances, General Muhammadu Buhari would declare for the presidential race within the next few days as he rounds off his nationwide consultations, his political aide has disclosed.The former head of state and national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is not new in the race as he has been consistently contesting for the presidency since 2003 when he ran against the then president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo under the platform of the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP).
Buhari also contested in 2007 and in 2011 against the late President Umaru Yar Adua and President Goodluck Jonathan respectively but lost in the three elections.With the merger of the leading opposition parties that gave birth to APC, Buhari camp strongly believes that if he could get 11million votes when he ran under the platform of one of the parties that merged, Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), then winning next year’s poll is a forgone conclusion.The party parades prominent Nigerians who are interested in the presidential primaries and some pundits are already predicting another crisis after the presidential candidate of the party might have emerged.Speaking with some journalists in Abuja yesterday, one of Buhari’s lieutenants who does not want his name in print for tactical reasons disclosed that as soon as the on-going consultations are over, the former military leader would throw his hat into the ring.“General Muhammadu Buhari has been making consultations with stakeholders cutting across all the divides over next year’s general elections. Those he has been meeting include politicians, both within and outside the APC, religious leaders, opinion leaders, youths and market women in every state of the federation and the feelers we are getting are encouraging.
“We are rounding off with the consultations and within the next few days, General Buhari would publicly declare for the race and it is our hope that he would not only emerge the presidential candidate of APC but would eventually be elected come February 2015.”
When reminded of some bigwigs of the party like former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Governor Musa Kwankaso among others who stand on his way. The source dismissed it with a wave of hands.“If General Buhari declares today, that is where our people would go,” he said.