The Governor of Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosun and the National Chairman of Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Alhaji Yusuf Dantalle on Monday presented a letter, adopting President Muhammadu Buhari as the presidential candidate for the 2019 Presidential election.
The party had last week said it has resolved to resist extension of political hegemony to the state by “external forces” by voting the candidate of their choice in 2019 general elections.
Speaking to State House Correspondents after meeting with President Buhari, Amosun said, “You will recall that just last week we made public that APM has adopted President Buhari as their presidential candidate. I had promised to bring the letter they had given me to present to him and that is what we came to do today. And you know Mr. President is a very gracious human being, he is a man with a good heart. He said if a party has adopted him, it is only fair he acknowledges the party and the chairman. That is why we are here.
“I have said that anybody that is for President Muhammadu Buhari is for me, we will embrace such party, such persons, such organization wholeheartedly and that is what I am doing and that is what we are doing in Ogun State. Clearly Mr. President will have a massive vote in Ogun State in the coming election.”
The Governor however declined to comment on the threat by the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) to expel him.
“I don’t want to comment on that. We came for this, let’s restrict ourselves to this. I want my president to win, what else do you want? We must win that is it!”
Dantalle, on his part said the adoption is just a formal thing. Personally I believe in him and reason being that I love my country and I don’t have any other country apart from Nigeria. And Buhari is the only man with the sincerity of intent to take Nigeria to the next level. This is not the Nigeria I was born into but I see that Nigeria coming back only though Buhari.”
On what informed the decision to adopt Buhari, the APM National chairman said, the party is coalition of people of likes and the NEC took the decision to adopt Buhari because he is the only one that can restore Nigeria back to its glory of where it needs to be.
According to him, “Buhari is giving us back the Nigeria of our dream.”
Asked why the party did not adopt Buhari in 2015, Dantalle said backed Buhari uptil the election even though he was a deputy governorship candiate for Labour Party, but that those that took over Kogi State were not the people that fought for the victory of Buhari.
“It was when the door was closed to us that we have to find a way but does not foreclose my support for His Excellency.”
On how confident he was of Buhari’s victory in Ogun State, he said, “I am very confident. You saw it yourself last week and you can attest to it.”
