PDM adopts Buhari presidential candidate

The Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) has adopted Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as its presidential candidate in the February 14 presidential election, urging all its members and supporters to vote for him.

The party’s adoption of Buhari was contained in a communiqué issued after its national executive committee (NEC) meeting on Thursday.

According to Bashir Yusuf Ibrahim, national chairman of PDM, the party chose Buhari as its presidential candidate because of his achievements as a military head of state and Petroleum Trust Fund chairman.

The party, which has about six million members, also declared that President Goodluck Jonathan had failed the country, hence the need for a better alternative to salvage it.

“NEC also reviewed the state of the nation and expressed concern with the deteriorating state of insecurity in the country, especially in the northeast where insurgents appear to have a free reign killing and displacing innocent citizens and taking over the nation’s sovereign territory,” the communiqué read in part.

“It commiserated with the victims of insurgency in the affected states and called on the federal government to discharge its responsibilities to Nigerians by guaranteeing the safety of their lives and property and retrieving the nations’ lost territory within the shortest possible time.

“NEC noted the rising level of corruption, unemployment and impunity in the country and condemned the campaign of calumny and hate by prominent citizens who are desperate to win election at any cost, including plunging the nation into chaos and anarchy. It called on Nigerians to reject desperate politicians who have been given a chance to prove their worth but failed. It noted that Nigeria’s democracy had come to stay and would not be undermined by the desperation of those who are afraid to lose election in February 2015.”

The statement added that the party had no candidate in the presidential election of February 14, 2015, so it considered and accepted the need to support a candidate in order to save Nigeria from imminent collapse and give it a new lease of life.

It also noted that the party had registered close to six million members both manually and online, and resolved to deploy this voting strength for good and in the best interest of Nigeria at this very critical time.

“NEC observed that of the available presidential candidates, two clearly stand out and the two represent a clear contrast and reference point for making a clear and informed choice.

“On the five critical issues, which NEC believes constitute the nation’s top and urgent priority at this material time, namely, national unity, public security, job creation, fight against corruption and the economy. It is the opinion of NEC that the incumbent who has been at the helm of affairs of the nation in the past six years had failed. In contrast, his opponent had a track record of achievement in these areas as a former head of state and, later, executive chairman of Petroleum (Special) Trust Fund.

“NEC believes it is time for Nigerians to give him a chance. In view of the foregoing, NEC unanimously resolved to support the candidature of General Muhammadu Buhari for president of Nigeria and called on all members and supporters of PDM across Nigeria to vote for him in the presidential election of February 14, 2015.”