Unlike 2019, Buhari will only support APC candidates in 2023 – Presidency

President Muhammadu Buhari will only support candidates on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) during next year’s general election, the presidency has said.

This was disclosed in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu.

Shehu in the statement asked former members of the APC who have left the party and those who have dragged the party to court that Buhari remained a “disciplined soldier” and won’t offer his support outside the party.

“This is a warning to decamped party members and some others who are still in court against official candidates of the APC that they are on their own and nobody outside the party tent should link what they are doing to President Buhari.

“The President wishes to be quoted as saying that he is the ‘occupant of the high office of the President by the Grace of God who used the instrumentality of the APC to bring him to power with a historic verdict in 2015.’ In 2019, he was returned with a bigger majority. For the first time, a non-PDP government came to power with a huge majority after 16 years of the Fourth Republic. His constant refrain is: ‘I will not betray or undermine my party by supporting candidates other than those of the APC.’

“This statement is not against any particular candidate. However, our stand is clear that only those candidates fielded by the All Progressives Candidates, APC will enjoy the support of the President and they are the ones he will campaign for. However, we welcome support for our candidates at all levels by other parties.

“The President says he will continue to support the party at all levels to enforce discipline, synchronization and coordination.

“He also directs officials in and around the Presidential Villa and all those engaging in loose talk to resist making controversial statements that eventually end up hurting the party and the government, thereby providing a weapon for the opposition to use against the administration, the party or its candidates in the coming elections,” he added.

With the statement, Buhari would not be towing the line he towed during the 2019 general elections, when he opened his hands to receive candidates from other parties.

While in Imo and Ogun states, Buhari failed to campaign for the governorship candidates of the APC, asking his supporters to vote for any candidate of their choice.

“On Saturday, February 16, you are to vote for presidential candidate of the APC. But I want to urge you to choose whoever you like across the parties as governor of Ogun State. There is no problem about it. I have no problem about it. The rest people of Ogun State will decide,” the President said in Abeokuta in 2019.

“You can vote for whosoever you want. Do not allow intra or inter-party affairs stop you from voting for the candidates of your choice,” Buhari also said in Owerri.

This was not unconnected with the crisis in both states where incumbent governors Rochas Okorocha and Ibikunle Amosun couldn’t secure the APC tickets for their preferred candidates Uche Nwosu and Adekunle Akinlade respectively.

While Nwosu was the governorship candidate of the Action Alliance in Imo State, Akinlade flew the flag of the Allied Peoples Movement, visiting Buhari with Amosun.