2023: Coalition asks APC leaders to allow Buhari pick his successor

The Coalition for Democracy and Sustainable Development (CDSD), a political pressure group, has commended the successful outcome of the national convention of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The ruling APC held its national convention on March 26 where a new national working committee (NWC) emerged.

In a statement on Thursday, Ganzallo Kolawole, national coordinator of CDSD, said the sense of purpose, unity and solidarity displayed during the convention demonstrated the belief in the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari.

The coalition said the consensus template used at the convention should be adopted for the emergence of the APC presidential candidate.

The group added that Buhari should be given the honour of directing a consensus arrangement to produce the party’s flag bearer.

“We wish to formally congratulate President Muhammadu Buhari, leaders and stakeholders within the All Progressives Congress for the success of the recently concluded national convention of the party,” the group said.

“We are delighted by the sense of purpose, unity and solidarity displayed in supporting the wise counsel of President Muhammadu Buhari in the choice of members of the newly elected national working committee (NWC).

“More importantly, one of the reasons for which an outgoing government should be succeeded by a government headed by a person with working knowledge of the governance template that the outgoing pursued is the fact it encourages adherence to a proven governance template and allows for maturation of ideas and achievements of the results for which the template was adopted.

“This person, whether in or out of government, must be a seasoned politician and knowledgeable administrator with working knowledge of the dynamics that the Buhari administration encountered while governing the country.

“This person must also be a person with deep understanding of the implications and justifications for the nature of policies that the Buhari administration pursued to be able to easily navigate through implementation and preservation of the core ideals.

“While we understand that the APC has internal mechanisms to produce candidates through laid-down party processes, we also understand that processes are subject to human interpretations and must be adapted to varying circumstances and situational dynamics.”

The coalition further stated that it believes the president has the capacity to assess every person who has approached him to declare their presidential ambitions and decide who is best fit for the job.