2019: US-based oil magnate to vie for APC ticket, as Okorocha says no automatic ticket for Buhari

United States-based oil magnate, SKC Ogbonnia, has declared his intention to vie for the presidency on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2019 presidential election.

Ogbonnia, a notable supporter of Buhari’s 2015 election bid, is the chairman of First Texas Energy Corporation and also the Secretary-General of Nigeria Union Diaspora (NUD), a group that projects the interests of Nigeria in the United States.

Meanwhile, Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State revealed to State House correspondents Thursday following a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, that there would be no automatic ticket for the president should he decide to seek reelection.

Okorocha, who is chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum, an association of governors under the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), said all the candidates interested in the 2019 election must pass through the democratic process.

“He has every right and qualification to re-contest, there is nothing wrong at all. But, we don’t allow imposition of candidates. It must be democratically done,” he said.

“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.”

Recall that some days ago, the Buhari Support Group (BSG) had paid a visit to the president after which they touted his reelection.

At the end of the meeting, Abu Ibrahim, leader of BSG, had revealed that 189 groups had endorsed Buhari for 2019.

Ahmad Lawan, Senate Majority Leader, who was also in the BSG delegation, had said Buhari had no choice than to run in 2019.

Read also: 2019: APC NEC ‘silent’ on Buhari’s chances as flag bearer

Also, earlier in the week when the ruling party held its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, some governors had reportedly made attempts to secure an automatic ticket for the president but did not succeed.

In Ogbonnia’s statement, issued Thursday, the Awgu, Enugu State-born businessman said his decision followed consultations with Nigerians and the resolve not to allow “a visionless clique continues to dictate our future”.

The statement read, “After wide consultations within Nigeria and around the world, I have decided to seek the office of the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria under All Progressive Congress (APC).

“This decision did not come easy. But there comes a time to say, enough is enough. We can no longer sit idly by while a visionless clique continues to dictate our future. We can no longer sit on the sidelines while the masses, particularly the youth, continue to wallow in abject poverty and despair, despite abundant human and natural resources in the land. We must no longer sit and watch politicians deploy our common wealth to send their families overseas for their education and healthcare while the masses at home have nowhere to go for their welfare. We can do much better.

“But this campaign is not business as usual. It represents the much-awaited democratic mass revolution to take back our country and make it better for all. The movement calls for a new breed of leaders, including the youth, who have the zeal and the competencies to cope with the demands of the 21st century. The movement calls for a visionary and dynamic leader with the requisite knowledge, preparations, experiences, and the capacity to transform Nigeria to greatness.

“This movement beckons an upright leader who is not part of the status quo—a leader who has the moral audacity to demonstrate consequences for bad behaviour in Nigeria without minding whose ox is gored. Moreover, this critical time in history demands a president who truly believes in the unity of Nigeria—a leader who understands that lasting unity is more attainable through equity, justice, and progress for all.

“Fellow Citizens, now is the time; 2019 is the moment, and I am that leader. Also encouraging is that there is a wide path to victory. The masses, as well as the international community, yearn for true democratic change in Nigeria. And we, the masses, are the majority. We have equally become wiser. We shall no longer allow politicians to buy our votes for their selfish interests. We shall no longer allow them to use ethnicity or religion to divide us as usual. We are united by common faith and the greater good.

“Best of all, we shall fulfill our promises. We shall not be beholden to the selfish wishes of an oligarchy that typically funds Nigerian campaigns. Our team has the resources to fund this campaign—from the wards to the national level. What we need, instead, is God’s guidance and active support from the masses.

“The decision to continue with APC is quite in order. To encourage strong opposition activity and efficient checks and balances in governance, Nigeria’s democracy does not need too many political parties. Therefore, having made a defining history by displacing a dominant corrupt party from power, APC remains a beacon of hope for our democratic future.

“But we shall reposition the party as a model for true change in line with its founding principles. We are well set to provoke a paradigm shift in the APC to meet the yearnings of the masses.

“Fellow Nigerians, this movement is not about me. It is not about east, west, north or south. It is not about this zone or that zone. The movement is all about our inner conscience as Nigerians. It is about the future of our beloved country. It is about making Nigeria great for all. And we will win, God’s willing.”

 

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