I’m still in presidential race, says Ribadu

Posted by admin Elections 2011 Sunday, January 2nd, 2011

AHEAD of tomorrow’s sealing of the alliance between the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), the ACN presidential aspirant, Nuhu Ribadu, yesterday denied recent media reports insinuating that the two parties had adopted Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) as their flag-bearer. A statement by Ribadu’s Presidential Campaign Organisation quoted the former Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) chairman as saying that he was still in the presidential race. He added that his party had not come out to adopt a particular candidate, because he believes that ACN was more democratic than it was being made to look.

It was reported late last week that the final document, which would seal the electoral deal between the two parties was expected to be signed by the two parties tomorrow in Abuja where the CPC Board of Trustees (BoT) would mandate its officials to sign the agreement with the ACN.

The decision, it was learnt, was part of the outcome of a two-day meeting between the officials of the two parties on Monday and Tuesday last week.

But the statement by Ribadu’s team said: “The truth is that we are in dialogue as indeed we are with a host of other parties but nothing in our current talks suggests in the least that we already have a closure regarding a presidential flag-bearer.”
Ribadu stated that he was amazed to read in some national dailies that Buhari will fly the flag of ACN in the 2011 elections.

“It is in the nature of clique politics especially at the last quarter of an electoral match that such misinformation and underhand strategies are deployed to cushion the fortunes of preferred candidates.”

Ribadu insisted that the democratic principles in the ACN make it impossible to resolve the critical matter of the choice of a flagbearer out of the process of primaries and other statutory consideration.

“That is not our way. Certainly not in ACN, perhaps in the other parties. It is so sad the way some media houses seem to take a position on this issue of merger or alliance and say that somebody has been picked, nothing can be farther from the truth,” he said.

– Guardian

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