2019: No automatic ticket for Buhari, says Okorocha

*Says President’ll soon tour S/East

By Lawrence Olaoye

Chairman, All Progressives Congress Governors Forum (APCGF) and Governor of Imo state, Rochas Okorocha, has said that there will be no automatic ticket for President Muhammadu Buhari if he chooses to contest for the Presidency in 2019.
Okorocha who spoke to State House Correspondents after a closed door meeting with the President yesterday said the party will not impose candidates on its members.
The APCGF chairman said the President was democratically qualified to aspire to a second term but insisted that he must go through party primaries.
He said “The gentleman is looking much more handsome than even before he went to hospital. He is looking stronger and so, he has every right and qualifications to re-contest. There is nothing wrong at all.
But, we don’t allow imposition of candidate. It must be democratically done. If President Buhari will lead the ship in 2019, it must be democratically done, and I said, democratically done, transparently (done) to the amazement of the whole world, the way we do our things in APC and people will be happy.”
The APC chieftain also hinted that the President will soon tour the South-East states to shore up his support base.
According to him, membership of the APC has continued to increase in recent times.
The President, he disclosed will tour the South-Eastern states Numan Ebonyi, Imo and Anambra states as part of strategies to improve the relationship between the people of South East and the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government.
He said “The South East before now was not measuring in APC. But we have worked out strategies and modalities on how to improve relationship between the people of South East and APC government and that was top on the agenda and the need for Mr President to come to South East as quickly as possible, to begin to show his presence.
“Luckily, the President will be coming to Ebonyi state, very soon, and he will pass through Imo state to Anambra state.
“So, covering three states within this short time will be right step in the right direction, because we have come to realise in the south east that we are better off in APC than any other party in the federal republic of Nigeria,’’