All is now set for the All Progressives Congress, APC’s presidential primaries where about 8000 delegates are set to decide amongst the five aspirants who should fly the party’s ticket in the 2015 elections.
The aspirants are former Head of State, Gen, Muhammadu Buhari, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Kano State Governor Rabi’u Kwankwaso, his Ino State counterpart Rochas Okorocha and Publisher of LEADERSHIP Newspapers, Mr. Sam Nda-Isaiah.
Though pundits have tipped Gen. Buhari and Atiku as the frontrunners in the race, analysts are of the opinion that the rest three can spring surprises in a race many expect to be keenly contested.
Prior to today’s election, the aspirants have crisscrossed Nigeria, meeting and wooing delegates.
Fearing that rancour may engulf the party after the primary election, the APC leadership compelled the aspirants to sign an undertaking of absolute loyalty to the party no matter the outcome of the election and who wins it.
But there are insinuations from close APC quarters that this may not be so as the aspirants also gave the condition for remaining loyal to the party no matter the outcome of the election if only it is free and fair.
The first pointer that not all the aspirants will accept the outcome of the election is the protest by some of them against the choice of Lagos as the venue for the primary election.
In a petition jointly signed by some of them, they kicked against the choice of Lagos, citing logistics problems such as transporting delegates from far flunged parts of the North to Lagos, instead preferring the centrality of Abuja.
However, the powers that be in the party insisted on Lagos, which made some of the aspirants to be suspicious of the sudden choice of Lagos.
Addressing newsmen recently, preparatory to the convention, the party’s national publicity secretary, Lai Mohammed, said the party was ready.
“The various sub-committees are working round the clock to ensure that the convention succeeds and becomes a reference point in the political history of the country.
“We are also collaborating with relevant agencies to ensure effective security, crowd control, traffic management, medical attention among others.
“The five aspirants of the party are eminent citizens with proven credentials. It is our belief that at the exercise one of them would emerge the presidential flag bearer of our dear party in the coming election,” he said.
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