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The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said that it had not endorsed Muhammadu Buhari, President of Nigeria for a second term.
Its spokesman, Bolaji Abdullahi, affirmed that the party’s National Executive Committee only passed a vote of confidence on Muhammadu Buhari and the 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.
Abdullahi, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, 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 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 Buhari to seek re-election.
