President Muhammadu Buhari has assured members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) that no candidate would be endorsed for elective positions from Abuja.
Buhari gave the assurance on Saturday while speaking in Daura, Katsina State, after completing his party membership revalidation exercise.
The president, who was accompanied by members of the caretaker committee of the party, the Senate President Ahmad Lawan; governors and other party members, said his objective was to ensure that the party was returned to the people at the grassroots.
He said, “No more crowning from Abuja downward. Let the people know this and appreciate it that they are in charge of their constituencies and the party.’’
He blamed the elite for not being “reflective” enough to know how his administration had strived hard to bring the country out of the woods.
“When we came to power, we gave out money from the centre to pay salaries. But the Nigerian elite are not interested in rating the competence, they are interested in harassing us, even with all the efforts we are making.
“You who are in the field in charge of your constituencies have to make efforts to convince the elite to please give us the due relevance and respect we deserve. We are working very hard with limited resources,’’ he said.
He said the presence of the Senate president and governors who accompanied him to his constituency for the exercise was a morale booster.
The president described the chairman of the party’s caretaker committee, Mai Mala Buni, as the most suitable person for the position, having served as secretary for a long time before becoming the governor of Yobe State.
