APC Presidential Primary: Will Mr. President Swim Against the Tide?

Leadership has been identified as the major problem that brought the nation to its knee in the middle of abundant natural resources. The outrageous nomination fees for the presidential seat and other leadership positions by major political parties attest we are not yet serious about addressing the problem of leadership in the country. To contest at the APC presidential primary, the APC demands 100 million Naira from presidential aspirants, while those aspiring to be the presidential flag bearer of the PDP are to cough out 40 Million Naira.

We are not yet ready to have leaders that will serve; instead, we want businessmen in leadership positions. Letting go of 100 Million Naira to buy form to serve contradicts logic. The president signed the Not Too Young to Run bill, but the fees of the nomination forms are saying otherwise.

The race for the aspirant who will fly the flag of the APC at the presidential poll is becoming tighter; more and more aspirants are showing interest in succeeding President Buhari. One will wonder why many people are interested in becoming the president of a country they made us believe is broke. Some political appointees whose ministries have not felt their leadership presence have equally joined the race. Of all the aspirants, Bola Tinubu is a force to be reckoned with. He is not just a chieftain of the APC; he is the party’s national leader. Without the presidential influence, no other aspirant in the party is likely to beat him at the indirect primary of the party. Will the president now draw the battle line? 

Undoubtedly, President Buhari has a candidate. Just as it is difficult to win the party ticket from a sitting president or governor, it is equally a great task to defeat a candidate backed by an outgoing president or governor at the party primaries. Many aspirants are aware of this fact, so the train of their consultations started with the president, and he was reported to be wishing them the best. The president is so much respected within the party and always has his way in difficult situations. The way his intervention salvaged APC days before their national convention shows he had a significant influence on the party.

Factors that can determine who will win the APC presidential primary

Two factors are likely to determine the president’s choice: the first is the mood of the country. There is so much distrust and unrest in the country; many statemen believe zoning the presidency to the South-East of the country will quench the unrest. Whereas some strongly believe that what the country needs now is a technocrat who could surmount the numerous challenges facing the country. The president might want to yield to either of these appeals. The second factor is the salability of the candidate. Every party wants to win. The president recently warned the party not to frustrate popular candidates out of the party, and the party is not likely to back an unpopular candidate. 

The possibility of the anointed candidate of the president coming outside the APC cannot be jettisoned. Some of the individuals that have been mentioned as anointed candidates of Mr. President include the Former President, Goodluck Jonathan, Dr. Godwin Emefiele, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, and the President of the African Development Bank, Akinwumi Adeshina, who recently visited the President.

Apparently, there are exciting days ahead in the country’s political space; time will tell who the president wants for Nigeria after him.