The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on Saturday stated that the All Progressives Congress must not sell its tickets to the highest bidders or impose candidates on the party ahead of the 2023 general elections.

This is just as the President’s anointed candidate, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, emerged the national chairman of the APC following the withdrawal of six other contestants from the race

Rather, Buhari said candidates must emerge in a free and fair manner.

The President stated this while delivering his speech at the APC national convention in Abuja.

“Popular and acceptable aspirants who remain the people’s choice must be allowed to fly the party’s flag in the 2023 elections. We will resist the imposition of candidates,” he said.

He said ahead of the primaries, there was a need to remain strong and united for the party to exploit the rich and abundant potential at its disposal.

The President appealed to the incoming National Working Committee to promote unity and avoid sentiments that were capable of causing disaffection and disunity.

“For those aspiring for party and public offices, your failure to realise such aspirations for party offices or to fly the party’s flag, should not be a basis for a campaign of calumny against the party. We should have the spirit of sportsmanship and always support the party to succeed,” Buhari stated.

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He enjoined the new NWC members to promote internal democracy and equal opportunities and ensure that party primaries were not influenced by “highest bidders” going into the 2023 elections.

The President, who adduced reasons for his recent intervention in the affairs of the party, said it was not intended to muzzle dissenting voices.

“Recently, l had cause to intervene in the leadership crisis which was about to cause confusion in the party. Such internal disputes are common in young democracies such as ours, but we must avoid overheating the polity and not allow our differences to tear and frustrate the party.

“As I said earlier, it does not do anybody or the party any good, when we, as leaders, go down so low and resort to backstabbing and name-calling in the media,” Buhari added.

President Buhari called on all politicians and the electorate to abide by the new Electoral Act “to promote the process of election, enhance transparency, fill in existing gaps and add value to Nigeria’s democracy for our democracy to thrive.”