Barely 48 hours before the presidential and national assembly elections holding Saturday, February 23, 12 presidential candidates under the auspices of the Forum of Presidential Candidates of Political Parties for Good Governance on Thursday dumped their jettisoned their ambition and adopted President Mohammadu Buhari.
The candidates and their parties are Advanced Peoples Democratic Alliance (APDA), Shittu Mohammed Kabiru; Independent Democrats, Hon. Edozie Nnamdi Madu; Movement for Restoration and Defence of Democracy, Danjuma Mohammed; Allied Peoples Movement, Mamman Yusuf Naptali; and Save Nigeria Party, Ahmed Buhari.
The others are Mass Movement of Nigeria, Alhaji Isabi Dansaki, Advanced Congress of Democrats, Ikechukwu Nwokeafor, Yes Party, Alistar Shoyode, Advanced Nigeria Democratic Party, Charles Ughalli; United People’s Congress, Kenneth Ibe Kalu, Nigeria Element Progressives Party, Isiaka Paul Ebili and National Democratic Liberty Party, Robinson Apu.
Spokesman for the president, Mr. Femi Adesina who briefed the media said the presidential candidates who had earlier held a closed door meeting with Buhari decided without prompting to dump their own ambitions in support of the president.
He said the 12 presidential candidates had consequently directed all their supporters to vote en masse for Buhari during the Saturday election.
“So these 12 former candidates declared support for Mr. President. Mr. President was quite delighted; he applauded their unselfish nature. If they wanted to deny him vote, they will still continue with the elections and people in their immediate environment will vote for them and then deny him at least those votes.
“So, the fact that they have come to pledge loyalty and have directed their supporters to vote Mr. President was a thing that President Buhari applauded,” said Adesina.
