President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday submitted his nomination and expression of interest form to contest the presidential primary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) with a message that Nigerians must not allow those that brought the country to its knees between 1999 and 2015 to take the country back.
There was however a mild drama at the NEC hall of the APC national secretariat as the party National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole, who presented a digital membership card of the party to the President, insisting however that President Buhari must pay N100 before collecting the membership card.
Oshiomhole also told the President that the party now has over 15.6 million members across the country.
Buhari who expression appreciation to those who contributed money to but the form for him assured that if given the mandate and reelected in 2019, he will continue to serve the country to the best of his ability.
He said “I am here in person among friends and colleagues to put my name forward to my party, the APC seeking nomination to contest the presidential election next year 2019.
“Fellow party members, I’m taking this step with all humility, sense of responsibility and unquestionable desire to serve and protect the interest of all Nigerians.
“I am very grateful to those dozens of organisations who have teamed together and contributed funds to purchase these forms, I assure them and rest of Nigerians that if nominated, and if elected, I shall continue to serve you to the best of my abilities.
“Let me today, appeal to party members not to be complacent but to prepare, strategize and win 2019 elections. We must not allow those who brought the country to it’s kneels from 1999 to 2015 to come and take us back”.
Speaking, APC national Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole informed the President that within the last two month, the present leadership of the party has been able to digitalise the party membership register and come up with a digital membership card which cannot easily be forged.
He also informed the President that as at the last count, the party has membership strength of 15.6 million across the country, adding that the membership register has been done in a such a way that anybody who want to verify the membership of any party member can easily do it within the comfort of his room.
He said “We want to present to you some of the effort we have been making since our assumption of office. We promised to activate the membership data, update it, register more members because party a mass movement and because be able talk about the size of our party, we need to have evidence that can be verified by members and all.
“We have taken advantage of modern technology to produce what we think is the best or the first in Nigeria. As at last week when they started printing the membership register, we now have about 15.6 registered APC members across the country.
“The system has been designed in such a way that from the comfort of any member’s seating room, you can crosscheck your membership and membership of any one you want to verify without any effort”
Presenting the membership card to the president, he said “Mr. President, this your card which I am proud to say cannot easily be forged or duplicated or printed by road side printers. We are very proud of this achievement because it fits into our mantra of change. We now have a digital membership register.
“The card will expire December 31, 2013. It is our belief that by then, technology would have improved ad we will be able to improve on the card. You have to pay N100 to acquire this because we have to pay for it.
“For the purpose of a direct primary, every member coming to vote will show his membership card which must correspond with the details on the register before he can vote. We decided display these openly so that people will know that we have basis to conduct direct primary based on a membership register.
“Before I am misunderstood or misquoted, it goes to say that inspite of the fact that we have these credible membership register, it does not in any way modify or change the decision of NEC regarding the flexibility that was agreed to.
“At the NWC, we try to give practical expression transparently as possible so that the party will not only be the largest, it will be smartest, the most democratic and the most cohesive.”
The President arrived the APC secretariat at exactly 3.44 pm and emerged with a shout of said Baba by supporters who defiled security cordons to her to the fence of the secretariat.
However Journalist covering the party were harassed by Presidential guards and locked inside the APC Press Centre, with a few television stations allowed into the Hall.
The president departed the secretariat at about 4.22, throwing up the usual brisk business that has been associated with the party secretariat in the last two weeks.
