Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the presidential aspirant of the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) said yesterday that recent media reports suggesting that his party has adopted General Muhammadu Buhari as its flag-bearer under a joint ACN and Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) arrangement does not accurately reflect reality.
Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the presidential aspirant of the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) said yesterday that recent media reports suggesting that his party has adopted General Muhammadu Buhari as its flag-bearer under a joint ACN and Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) arrangement does not accurately reflect reality.
“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” said Ribadu who, teasing journalists, said “Haba, you people want to graft a monarchical spirit on a democratic institution.”
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Mr. Ribadu who was addressing a group of journalists in Abuja 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 period of an electoral match that such disinformation and underhand strategies are deployed to cushion the fortunes of preferred candidates” explained Ribadu who insisted that the democratic principles in the ACN make it impossible to resolve the critical matter of the choice of a flag bearer out 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 further from the truth,” he said.
Speaking further, Ribadu said the alliance has never been about an individual, but about what is good for Nigeria, adding that the ACN has never come out to say that a particular candidate has been selected. “ You know that my party, the ACN has never mentioned anybody’s name as a likely candidate, all that we are interested in is to form a strong alliance that will defeat the PDP, when the time comes for the selection of candidate to fly the flag, Nigerians will be informed” he also said.
The former Chairman of the EFCC also said the alliance vision will be expanded vigorously until more parties swell the rank because, as he said, “only when the progressive forces are united can we deal a final blow to the over a decade of misrule and decay that the PDP represents for our country and our people.”
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