Following his formal declaration to contest the 2015 presidential election under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), former Head of State, General Muhammadu Buhari Thursday picked the expression of interest forms at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.
He however lamented the high cost of the presidential nomination form which is put at N27.5 million.
According to him, it would have been difficult for him to pay for the form if his bank chairman had not come to his rescue.
Buhari recalled that he had always resisted the temptation of allowing people to pay for his nomination form in previous presidential contests.
He told the APC National Chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun, “If I were not part of the constitutional body of the party and the fact that I am part of those that formed this party, I would have complained about the amount that we have to pay.
“I have always tried to sit on the right hand side of the chairman.
“It is a pity that I could not influence this amount that has to be paid like it was done for the ladies who are trying to participate and for the disabled.
“I didn’t want to go and ask anybody to pay for my nomination.
“If l could recall, in all the contest, I have always tried to pay for myself at least for the nomination forms.
“But N27.5 million these days, thank God I have a personal relationship with the Chairman of my bank.
“I called him and told him that the forms are coming and so whether my accounts is in red or green or black, you must honour this, otherwise I will lose the nomination.
“I was about to go to Kaduna today (yesterday) and told the Chairman and he said you better pick the form and he kept a straight face.
“That means that there is no excuse.
“I thank God that we have gotten to this stage and all speculations will now cease.”
Responding, Odigie-Oyegun had this to say, “Buhari is a harbinger of change.
“In spite of his age, he has continued to surprise me every day.
“The N27.5 million is to separate the boys from the men.
“We know you and we do not expect you to have N27.5 million under your bed.
“But I expect that there are Nigerians who will vouch for you any day and who are ready to stand by you any day and that is the result that we have obtained today.
“I want to congratulate you for the event that I watched on television yesterday.
“It was good for you.
“It was good for me and it was good for the party.
“I watched it and I know that the entire nation watched it and I know inside me what they will be saying that truly, the APC has arrived and they mean business.
“Yes, we are going to have quite a few aspirants and we are very glad by the kind of display that, one by one, they are putting up.
“It is a clear indication of the quality of persons in the APC.
“It is a clear indication of the quality of leadership that we are offering the nation, which was showcased yesterday (Wednesday) before the entire nation.”
The party chairman promised a rancour-free runoff to the presidential primaries such that it becomes easy for all the aspirants to embrace each other and work with each other.
“We will do whatever we can in that regard and I intend to talk to all the aspirants once we know the number of aspirants we have.
“I want you to tell me what you want to see in the process and I want you or your representative to participate actively in the process towards the presidential primaries so that everybody will be on board.
“There is no secret about it as everybody will be part of it and whatever modification the aspirants want to make will be accommodated so that all the aspirants will know that we want to run things freely, transparently and above board.
“There is one thing that the public is looking for today and I am sure that your friends, when they talk to you or talk to me, they always say, Mr. chairman, there is one more bridge to cross.
“Have free, fair and transparent primaries to choose your candidate without rancour. “The implication of their statement is that once that happens, you are on your way to the top.
“I am so confident that with proper leadership, once we get a proper candidate who will become the face of the party without rancour and we hammer the party and its great fighting force behind that candidate, nothing is going to stop that train except when it arrives at its destination.”
Buhari was accompanied to the APC secretariat by former Minister of FCT, Nasir el-Rufai, former Bayelsa State Governor, Timipriye Sylva, among other party chieftains.
