Presidential candidates of some opposition parties in the February 25 poll on Thursday visited the All Progressives Congress (APC) national chairman, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.
They said the visit was to seek inclusion in the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and begged Ganduje to pave the way for their appointments in the current government.
Recall that Ganduje said recently that the APC was in talks with some opposition parties in the country and would soon collapse their structures into the ruling party.
Those who visited were the ex-presidential candidates of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), Action Democratic Party (ADP), National Rescue Movement (NRM), and Action Peoples Party (APP).
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The NRM former presidential candidate, Ambassador Felix Johnson Osakwe, who spoke on behalf of the Forum of Concerned Presidential Candidates, said they were for the peace and development of Nigeria.
He explained that they refused to challenge Tinubu’s victory at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal because of their desire for peace, saying Tinubu should be told that not all the presidential candidates were against his victory at the polls.
He said, “We are here, not only to see Mr. President but primarily to identify with you and to thank God for your appointment. Then number two, we see you as a father, who has been a Commander-in-Chief of a state and here you are today.
“That you will be the right person to lead us to meet with Mr. President, so he can hear our own views in person and also for him to know that it is not all the presidential candidates that are against him.
“We chose not to go to court because this is Nigeria and we have no other country to go to. So we are here to thank you and to thank God and everyone seated here and to say that as presidential candidates, there is something we can offer this country and I believe government of inclusion will be necessary in times like this.”
Responding, Ganduje appreciated them and promised to convey their views to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
He said, “I will convey your views and requests and I will ensure that you see Mr. President eye to eye.”
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