General Muhammadu Buhari (retired), the former Nigerian Head of State and candidate in the presidential primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was on Thursday declared winner of the just concluded exercise after he polled 3,430 to beat other notable aspirants on the party’s platform including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar who polled 954.
Buhari maintained a landslide victory over others at the election which began on Wednesday at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos State.
Sam Nda-Isaiah, the publisher of Leadership Newspapers, got a mere eight votes to come last among the contestants.
The stadium rose in celebration when those counting for Buhari got to 1,000. The celebration, according to some of the delegates was because Buhari had defeated Atiku.
“Buhari has mass appeal even though he does not have enough money to throw around and we have been telling Atiku’s people so,” one of the delegates told Huhuonline.com.
With the result, Buhari now takes on President Goodluck Jonathan, who Thursday night got a unanimous endorsement to hold on to the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The counting began on Thursday afternoon after it took five hours, thirty minutes to sort the ballot papers.
In all, a total of 7,214 delegates voted in the exercise.
Atiku’s ballot was counted first with the figure revealed while the former Vice President maintained a straight face all through.
It was learnt that the 12 governors on the platform of the APC had met in Lagos shortly before the exercise began and at the meeting they endorsed Buhari ahead of Atiku who was believed to have gone around dishing out money.
While addressing the delegates before the exercise, Buhari had told them he did not have dollars to spend in an indirect reference to Atiku.
Buhari told the crowd: “as you gather for our convention, please remember that history, change and the hopes of Nigeria are there with you. They are there to ask you to perform according to your best judgment and patriotic conscience. I also ask you to do the same.
“We seek a new Nigeria. It starts with us. It starts today. I have placed myself before you seeking your help to nominate me as your standard bearer for our progressive party, APC.
“Personal ambition does not drive me in this regard. I seek to be the next president of our beloved nation because I believe I have something to offer Nigeria at this time of multiple crises. Insecurity, corruption, and economic collapse have brought the nation low. Time is past due that we work together to lift Nigeria up. I am ready to lead Nigeria to its rightful future.
“I have always served Nigeria to the best of my ability. I have always tried to give more to the nation than it has given me. This is the principle of service that has guided my public life. Thus, I am not a rich person. I can’t give you a pocketful of dollars or naira to purchase your support.
“Even if I could, I would not do so. The fate of this nation is not up for sale.
“What I will give you, and this nation is all of my strength, commitment, sweat and toil in the service of the people. What I can give you is my all.
“I do not intend to rule Nigeria. I want to democratically govern it with your help. I seek a Nigeria where Christians and Muslims may practise their faiths in peace and security; a Nigeria that is just and where corruption no longer trespasses into our institutions and national behavior and a Nigeria where our diversity could be used for our national prosperity.
“Nigeria is our home. Let us now turn it into the great nation we know it can and should be.”
It was learnt that there was a last minute meeting to pressure some of the aspirants to step down for Buhari, but the meeting did not yield any positive result.
The votes are still being counted at the time of this report.
