Presidential candidates of some opposition parties in this year’s general election have urged the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, to persuade President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for inclusion in his government.
The presidential candidates said this when they visited Ganduje at the party’s national secretariat yesterday in Abuja.
They were those of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Action Democratic Party (ADP), National Rescue Movement (NRM), and Action Peoples Party (APP), among others.
The presidential candidates, who spoke under the aegis of the Forum of Concerned Presidential Candidates, said the need for peace and development of the country informed their decision not to challenge the victory of President Tinubu at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT).
Spokespersons of the forum and presidential candidate of the National Rescue Movement (NRM), Ambassador Felix Johnson Osakwe, assured the President and the ruling party that they were for peace, hence the need for them to be included in the current government of national unity.
Osakwe stressed that not all the presidential candidates were against President Tinubu’s election victory.
He said: “We are here, sir, not only to see Mr. President but to be identified with you and to thank God for your appointment.
“Also, we see you as a father who has been a commander-in-chief of a state and here you are today to be the pilot that will lead the presidential candidates, especially those who are ready and those who love this country and the interest of this country first before politics, before parties.
“That you will be the right person to lead us to meet with Mr. President so he can hear our views in person and for him to know that it is not all the presidential candidates that are against him.
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“We chose not to go to court because this is Nigeria and we have no other country to go to.
“So, we are here to thank you and to thank God and everyone seated here and to say that as presidential candidates, there is something we can offer this country. I believe a government of inclusion will be necessary at a time like this.”
Expressed appreciation to the presidential candidates, Ganduje promised to convey their message to President Tinubu.
He said: “I will convey your views and requests. I will ensure that you see Mr. President eye-to-eye. I thank you for being faithful to your respective parties.
“What I am seeing is one political aspirant who became a presidential candidate by accident, who became a presidential candidate by hijacking another party because he was party-less.
“He decided to hijack a political party. And since, he could not realise his aspiration, he decided to make that party a revenue platform rather than a political party. He has now decided to expel the founder. God forbids. He will not succeed.
“I salute you presidential candidates for being good ambassadors of your political parties, not destroyers of your political parties, and for not turning your political parties into a source of revenue.
“No doubt, we will include you in the three states that we are having elections come November this year. Thank you and God bless.”
The presidential candidates on the visit included Charles Nnadi (Action Peoples Party); Felix Osakwe (National Rescue Movement), Prof. Peter Umeadi (All Progressives Grand Alliance), Dr. Odey Udo (Action Democratic Party’s vice presidential candidate) and Adewale Adeogun (leader .
