President Muhammadu Buhari, has formally congratulated the newly inaugurated All Progressives Congress (APC), noting that the smooth conduct of the exercise raises the prospect of an APC victory next year.
A statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu quoted the president as saying that the unity party stakeholders and members displayed during the convention puts it on a firmer footing for victory in next year, 2023, general elections.
He said, “The APC Convention hosted this weekend sets the scene for an APC victory in the presidential and general elections next year. It is a victory over naysayers who believed the party was divided but are now disappointed.”
He expressed belief that it is equally a victory for him who ensured unity across all party positions; and it is a victory for Nigerian voters who can now be assured of a smooth succession to new leadership in 2023.
He noted that what the Convention made clear was how the media has been peddling fake news of division, when the hard reality of unity, cohesion, and indeed personal warmth between members of the party’s leaders – incoming and outgoing – was evident for all to see.
Buhari blamed the main opposition, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), for doing the work all these years only to divide the country, leading to all manner of separatist agitations.
“But this is not the wish, nor is it in the character of the citizens, as was clear for everyone to see at the Eagle Square.
“When their fake news of disunity was undone by the facts, some in the opposition could not help themselves but took to the newspapers and the airwaves to find another way to shore up their reputations.
“That some of the APC’s new leadership were once in the opposition was the new line to take to the media, somehow suggesting that those who have left one party should not hold positions in another. Yet, do the Scriptures not teach us of the virtue of sinners who repent and change their ways?” He queried.
