Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, on Tuesday, met with President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House in Abuja.
The meeting came a few hours ahead the commencement of the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Convention.
Bello is one of the presidential aspirants contesting in Tuesday’s APC primary election.
He has vowed not to withdraw from the race despite the demand of governors from the north for the southern region to produce Nigeria’s next President.
The 14 northern APC governors had told President Buhari to support their idea of a southern presidential candidate for the ruling party in the interest of the unity of the country.
Responding to questions from State House Correspondents that the party leadership had pruned down the names of the Presidential Aspirants to five, Bello declared that any attempt to prevent him from participating in the primary election would be resisted.
The Governor explained that he was in the Villa to brief the President on the true state of things concerning his decision to disassociate himself from the resolution of the Northern APC Governors Forum that power should shift to the South.
On the issue of power shift to the South and the pruning of aspirants to five, he said: “I am a free citizen and a qualified member of the party. I am contesting. I bought the form, was cleared to participate in the primary election and there is no reason for me to be excluded from the ballot. If they do so, then that is a recipe for a bigger trouble for the party.
“However, I don’t think it is a decision of the party. It is a decision of few elites who may decide to use their position to oppress the so called minority but I want to prove that in this country, I am not in the minority. I belong to the younger generation and Nigerians that are oppressed and are saying that their voice must be heard.”
Bello stressed that he will win today’s contest overwhelmingly, if the process is free and fair.
“I believe strongly that getting into that arena today, I will win overwhelmingly if the process and normal regulations are followed, I will merge victorious,” he added.
The Governor, who said he does not support power rotation, added that he was never consulted by his colleagues, the Northern Governors, before a decision was taken.
“I am a unifier, I have demonstrated that severally in my state and in carrying out various tasks that I was given by the party. So, nobody consulted me over the decision that power be shifted to the south and I would say they were enrolled by a certain interest that wants to be the Vice President at all costs.
“And I continue to oppose the issue of turn by turn presidency because the insecurity that is facing us today does not respect that. Every part of this country is faced with insecurity and wants prosperity and we want unity in this country, which is what I stand for. Who should be able to solve that problem is what should occupy our minds now, not rotational presidency,” he said.
He said he also came to explain to the president the viral video that showed him storming out of a meeting where his view was being suppressed.
Bello added that only President Buhari can prevail on him to stepdown his ambition adding that the President has not asked any aspirants to stepdown.
On if he’ll be willing to step down if party stakeholders intervene and asked him to, he said: “I respect President Muhammadu Buhari, the leader of our party, and I respect the party. If the President asks me to step down, I will do. Only Mr. President.
“Mr. President did not ask anyone to step down. Mr. President said let the delegates decide who becomes the flagbearer of our party and he did not say anyone should be excluded.”
Asked if he was sure APC will return in 2023, he replied: “I’m very optimistic that APC will return to power, if we play by the rules of the game.“
Asked what the rules are, replied: “Follow all the laws, non-exclusion of anybody who wants to participate and carrying everybody along and ensuring that there’s fairness, equity and justice.”
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