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From John Adams, Minna
As Nigerians await the emergence of a Presidential Candidate for the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) for the 2023 general election, former Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism and a Chieftain of the All Progressive Congress in Niger state, Mr. Jonathan Vatsa has warned that any attempt for the ruling party to pick it Presidential Candidate through a Consensus arrangement will spell doom the party in the general election.
The outspoken former Commissioner categorically pointed out that anything short of a Presidential candidate of the party to emerge through a democratic process where all the Aspirants faith will be determined by the party delegates will amount to handing over the government to the main opposition People Democratic Party (PDP) in 2023.
The former publicity secretary of the party in Niger state who spoke in Minna, the Niger state capital on Saturday when he briefed journalists over the uncertainty surrounding the National Delegates Convention of the ruling party, said that the party is heading for a self destruction if it decides to opt for a Consensus candidate, adding “this will amount to changing a goal post in a football match after a penalty has been awarded.
“Why would we want to change the goal post when a penalty has been awarded, that is how I looked at the whole thing. Aspirants have bought nomination forms, transverse the entire 36 states of the country seeking the supports of delegates, underwent screening, and all of a sudden you are talking about a Consensus candidate.
“It is too late to talk about Consensus at this dying minute, it will not work except there is a ground design to hand over the government to Atiku in 2023 because this will surely tear the party apart. The Aspirants will not agree to any Consensus no matter the threat.
“We all know that until all the Aspirants agreed to a Consensus and signed, there will be nothing like Consensus because the electoral acts and the Nigerian constitution is very clear on this. Let the party not shot itself on the leg ahead of the general elections”.
Vatsa believed that those advising President Mohammadu Buhari on this “unpopular idea” of a Consensus candidate did not mean well for the party, stressing that “those behind this undemocratic arrangement should be reminded that what happened during the emergence of senator Abdullahi Adamu as the National Chairman of the party will not be acceptable this time around.
“Delegates must be allowed to decide the faith of these Aspirants, let President Buhari go and lobby governors to deliver their states delegates for his preferred successor, there is nothing wrong with that, but telling some Aspirants to step down for anybody will not work, that will be the end of the party”.
On the outburst of Bola Ahmed Tinubu during his meeting with Ogun state delegates last week, Vatsa believed that President Buhari and the party have not being fair to the National Leader of the party who stood his ground with his money, time and energy to make sure Buhari emerged as President in 2015 and even 2019.
“This Man was the back bone of the party in 2015 and in 2019, we all know this, he played a great role in Buhari’s emergence as President so to tell such a person to step down for anybody will amount to a betrayal. The party will pay dearly for such decision”, he added
