From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna
Following the conduct of the Presidential primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC) which produced former Head of state General Muhammadu Buhari as the Presidential candidate, the director general of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), Salihu Mohammed Lukman has described the conduct of the primaries and its outcome as a victory for democracy.
In a congratulatory letter written to the leadership of the party Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, Alhaji Lukman who also contested the Kaduna guber primaries but was unsuccessful said “like in every contest, winners must emerge, though as our Presidential Candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari has said, it is not about winning or losing, but about freedom of choice and association and democracy at work.”
“At a personal level, I reiterate my appreciation to all those who stood by, and supported my aspiration while I aspired to be the party’s flag bearer in Kaduna State. It was a struggle well worth it, and I respect the outcome in the same way that our presidential aspirants accepted the outcome of the presidential primaries.
“Our primaries, by all standards are credible and the winners clearly the choice of party delegates. It is to the credit of our leaders that we have produced crisis-free primaries without the familiar allegations of imposition of candidates. This in itself is a major characteristic which distinguishes our party from all the other parties in the country. For those who are looking for what differentiate our party from PDP, our just concluded primaries emphatically provide the answer – APC is a democratic party, it is the signpost of the change Nigerians yearn for, the harbinger of a new Nigeria.”
He therefore called on all members of the party to approach the general elections with renewed commitment, confidence and determination to work in unity for APC to defeat PDP, adding that the victory recorded from the primaries is the outcome of sacrifices leaders of the legacy parties have made to produce the APC.
