2019: ‘Buhari will shock Nigerians

                          

asthe debate on whether or not President Muhammadu Buhari should be automatically given the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2019 continues, some chieftains of the party have predicted that he would shock Nigerians if he chooses to seek a second term in office.

In an exclusive interview withSunday Sun, Senator Ayo Arise said should Buhari decide to contest in 2019, those who would want to capitalise on his challenges to campaign against him would be shocked.

  Arise said the president had survived the worst ailment of his life, adding that he does not see anything wrong if he wants to run for a second term.

  He said: “For me, I think it is given that any time a party has a president on seat, people should give him an opportunity to run for a second term. For the little I know of this president and the little Nigerians know about him, if he feels that he is not fit to come back in terms of age and other challenges, he won’t insist on running for another term. But having gone through the worst ailment of his life, according to him, and survived, I don’t see anything wrong if he wants to run for a second term.

  “Every day you see him on television, you see him waxing stronger and healthier even better than any other time in the last two years. So, if the man says he wants to run, I can assure you that I will be one of his greatest supporters. And at the end of the day, those who will want to capitalise on the issue of his challenges to campaign against him would be shocked to see a renewed determination to build a new Nigeria of our collective dream. I am one of his supporters who want him to continue.”

  Arise said the country had an unfinished business, which could be addressed through the goodwill enjoyed by the president. 

  “There is an unfinished business in this country. We have not been able to tame corruption. We have only been chasing those who stole us blind. We have not been able to put in place what will deter people from engaging in corrupt acts. President Buhari has all the goodwill to put in place the structure that will reduce and minimise corruption. The way we are going, if we do not have a sustainable policy on corruption, we won’t get anywhere,” he noted.

  Also speaking in the same vein, former minister of information and culture and a founding member of the APC, Prince Tony Momoh, said Buhari “cannot lose any election in Nigeria” if he decides to go for a second term.

“He (Buhari) is entitled to two terms. We should be thankful to God Almighty that we have a Buhari now who understands Nigeria more than any other Nigerian leader apart from the late Dr. Nnamdi Azikwe. His presence in government is not an accident. We give the impression that someone who has been sick cannot work. I believe his sickness was exacerbated by what he discovered was on the ground. I was at the caucus meeting some couple of days ago; I was surprised to see him looking healthier than most of us. He is back fully at work,” Momoh said.

  He added: “One thing I can assure you is that if Buhari is strong enough and he knows he can do the job, he will contest and win. In fact, he cannot lose any election in Nigeria. One thing is when he secures a terrain you can’t take it from him. Those who are going to vote are not the people on the social media; it is the ordinary people. His support base is the ordinary man.  And he won’t take up a job he cannot do. Nigeria has to be re-grounded.”

Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who is widely regarded as the national leader of the APC, had also reiterated his confidence in the president recently.

  Tinubu, who met with Buhari behind closed doors last Monday in Aso Villa, also denied any rift between him and the president as speculated.

  The former Lagos State governor had told State House correspondents after the meeting that the purported rift between him and the President was “fake news.”

  He said: “I just met with the president. Our discussion was fruitful, produc