Vote Candidates Of Your Choice, Buhari Tells Imo Residents

Eniola Olayemi

Presidency has explained why President Muhammadu Buhari apparently failed to campaign for candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the party’s rally in Imo State on Tuesday.

Buhari was said to have told his audience during the Imo campaign rally that they should vote for any candidate of their choice.

The statements has continued to generate a lot of comments with many wondering if Buhari was actually in support of candidates of APC in Imo.

But the President’s spokesman, Garba Shehu, who spoke to newsmen on the matter on Wednesday, said that Buhari was fully behind the party and its candidates in every state of the federation, and campaigning for them wherever he goes.

On what happened in Imo State, Shehu said, “The massive crowd that gathered to welcome President Buhari in Imo State was made up of not only supporters of the APC in the state, but also supporters of other parties who are united by their love for the President and their desire to see him re-elected, despite the local candidates they support.”

Buhari, some had argued was not bold enough to campaign for APC in the state in order not to lose the support of the state governor, Rochas Okorocha, who though wants Buhari re-elected but working against the party governorship candidate in the state.

Okorocha, who is contesting for Senate under APC platform, is openly working to ensure his son-in-law and governorship candidate of Action Alliance (AA), Uche Nwosu, becomes his successor by defeating Hope Uzodinma, the APC candidate in the state and other candidates of other political parties in the coming election.

According to Garba, Buhari’s consciousness of Imo situation and the mixed crowd was the reason he did not speak only about support for the APC during the campaign, “but also encouraged the people to vote according to their consciences.”

“While President Buhari is fully behind APC, he welcomes endorsements from those who do not belong to the ruling party but is also sensitive to their support for non-APC candidates at the local level,” Garba added.