President Muhammadu Buhari warned leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to desist from name-calling and backstabbing as the party readies to hold its convention on March 26, 2022.
Buhari issued this warning in a statement signed by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Garba Shehu, on Saturday.
According to the statement, President Buhari urged the leaders and members of the ruling party to remain steadfast and maintain its unity if the party is to continue in the path of victory and its dominance at all levels throughout the country.
He also asked members of APC to learn from the failure of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
”They failed in 16 years in power and a failure as opposition,” the President said, as quoted in the statement.
”Yes, we are entitled to our own share of dissent and intra-party discord. These are common in all parties, left and right all over the world.
”But parties splintered by competing egos destine themselves to the worst possible fate,” Buhari warned.
”As the country prepares for the long run up to the 2023 presidential election, we all expect a robust debate on the issues that matter and what is going in the APC should be a reflection of this, not the infighting we are seeing. There must be no more distractions ahead of the convention to choose new leaders.”
Buhari said the APC must remain focused on developing the nation.
“We didn’t start on the note of arrogance of power, nor see government as a vehicle for self-aggrandizement, to be held at all costs, but a vehicle to bring development to all without discrimination-political, ethnic or regional to our dear country made this success possible,” the President said.
”Given all that is at a stake, we can expect contests into offices as we are now faced with to be heated although candidates and their promoters for party offices are not so much debating policy differences but differences of management, personality, character, and suitability for the most important leadership roles in our country and therefore the continent.”