An aspirant for the National Chairmanship position of the All Progressives Congress, Mallam Saliu Mustapha, has described an admonition to party members as proof that the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), was keen on making the party stronger than ever.
This was made known in a statement signed by his media aide, Dapo Okubanjo, where he noted that the President’s call for peace among feuding party members ahead of the March 26 National Convention resonated with him.
The statement reads, “This is exactly why we have been running a decent campaign devoid of mudslinging or any attempt to throw brickbats at anyone for exercising their right to compete for the party’s top job.
“For us, the race for the position of National Chairman is not a contest for titles but of ideas and as such we have always used every opportunity to reaffirm our intention to birth an idea that was muted in the past but was never realised, The Progressives Institute.
“It will be a hub of cross-fertilisation of ideas between older and younger party members, a think-tank of sorts to bring up ideas and ideals of progressivism and instil them in a way that will distinguish APC from others.
“We have also been consistent in pushing our plan to do things differently by ensuring that women, youth and even People Living with Disabilities get a place of pride while not neglecting older generation of politicians in our midst in such a way that many APC members know what we stand for.”
Mustapha also called on the media to imitate Buhari by scrutinising candidates for party positions and their manifesto.
He however urged party members to follow the President’s advice, while keeping the peace ahead of the national convention.
“Like a true democrat, President Buhari has thrown a challenge to the media by noting that ‘the media are welcome to comment on the content of the character of the potential APC candidates’.
“We endorse the call and will continue to make ourselves available for media scrutiny of our blueprint for the party and how we hope to ensure that it adopts a political culture that is guided by values.
“Let us again reaffirm that APC remains the party of choice for Nigerians and under our watch, we will sustain the Buhari legacy and institutionalise the party as a haven for Progressive ideals,” the statement concluded.
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