Eleven hopefuls received the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential nomination form yesterday, bringing the total number of applicants to 17.
The number will climb as more people who have expressed interest come forward.
Pastor Tunde Bakare and Nicholas Bello personally picked their forms.
Others were represented, including Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
As of yesterday, Alhaji Sulaiman Arugugu, the ruling party’s National Organizing Secretary, told The Nation that 241 hopefuls had chosen senatorial forms, 821 applicants had purchased House of Representatives forms, and 1,505 aspirants were vying for 36 state House of Assembly tickets.
The form collection period will end on Tuesday.
Yesterday, the electoral commission reminded political parties that it will only recognize candidates who emerged from legitimate primaries.
Pastor Bakare stated he will restore the country with a four-point platform of “peace, prosperity, progress, and possibilities” after receiving his nomination form.
“Our program is straightforward: peace, prosperity, progress, and opportunities. Nigeria will be rebuilt on these four foundations, and many residents’ hopes will be revived.
“We’ll all work together to make it happen.” No other country can fix our country. It will need Nigerians from all walks of life, both at home and abroad, as well as those in the Diaspora, to work together to build our country.
When asked if the number of applicants from the South will have an impact on the call for power to be shifted to the area, Bakare said the country required “the best, the fittest, and the most competent” to lead it.
“God is in charge of men’s affairs,” he added. He distributes it to whom He pleases. A Nigerian from the south is a Nigerian from the north, and we trust God to raise up the best, the most competent, the fittest, and those who sincerely love our people, especially the poor, to fix our country.
“In a race, many individuals compete, but only one person will be crowned.” There is only one seat available. Regardless of who wins, the rest of us must rally behind him to help restore Nigeria. Nigeria is our country, whether in the east, west, north, or south.
Senator Kabiru Gaya, Chairman of The Progressive Project (TPP), an umbrella body of support groups supporting Prof. Osinbajo’s candidacy, recommended the party to keep to the zoning and rotation.
The Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Senate Committee Chairman claimed that politics is “a game of give and take.”
“I’ve been in politics for a long time, and based on my sense of how it should be played, I believe it is a game of give and take,” Gaya stated. Under President Muhammadu Buhari’s leadership, we (the North) have been the president of this country for eight years. As a result, the President should be handed over to the South.”
Gaya believes that the form of primary should be decided by the party’s leadership.
Ibikunle Amosun, the former governor of Ogun State, announced his desire to run for president on the All Progressives Congress (APC) platform yesterday.
Amosun made the announcement in Abuja, saying that his expertise as a senator and governor would be an asset if given the chance.
“My broad range of experience in both the private and public sectors in political parties and political alliances in two of the three branches of government, that is, the legislative and executive arms, as well as at every level of government, has given me the requisite insights and political vision, as well as a deep understanding and strength of Nigeria’s diversity, adequate to provide the needed leadership that will galvanize our country to achieve our manifest destiny as the most populous country in Africa,” he said.
“Today, I’m publicly launching my candidacy for the presidency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the presidential ticket of our great party, the All Progressives Congress.”
Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, Ebonyi State Governor Dave Umahi, Senator Rochas Okorocha, Minister of State for Education Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, and Mrs. Uju Kennedy, the lone female contestant, are among those who have chosen the forms.
Pastor Tunde Bakare, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Nicholas Felix, Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi, Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, former Senate President Ken Nnamani, Minister of Labour and Productivity Chris Ngige, and Jigawa State Governor Abubakar Badaru are among the other names on the list.
