President Muhammadu Buhari says he will adhere to the provisions of the constitution by not attempting another term in office.
Buhari said this on Friday at the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Executive Council Meeting (NEC) in Abuja.
“I’m not going to make the mistake of attempting a third-term; besides age factor, I swore by the Holy Book that I will go by the constitution and the constitution says only two terms are available.
“I know that I’m in my last term and I can’t afford to be reckless, I’m not going to ask for anybody’s vote.
The president urged the NEC members to be conversant with the Nigerian constitution to avoid factors that made the party lose the election in some states.
Buhari also urged the members to ensure that they were respected in their constituencies.
”Yesterday at the meeting of the caucus, I made some comments which are still relevant here.
“But to me, the most important is that every member of NEC should reposition him or herself to make sure that he has dominated his constituency politically.
“The aim is that, as I mentioned yesterday, history will not be fair to us outrightly, if the APC collapses at the end of this term.
“History will be fair to us if the APC remains strong and not only holds the centre but make gains.
”People will reflect with nostalgia that once upon a time, the builders of APC made lots of sacrifices, worked very hard.
“The sacrifices are physical, material and moral to make sure that we maintain the leadership politically.
“This is what we should all aim at and ensure that our constituencies understand us and follow us to this great objective,” he said.
Buhari described what happened to the party in Imo, Bauchi State, Sokoto State, Zamfara as unfortunate.
He urged the NEC members to discharge their responsibilities in line with the constitution.
“NEC members must make sure that people elected are responsible from polling units to wards, local governments, and states in their constituencies.
“If for any other reason you divide the party at any constituency and it causes failure, then be prepared that history will not recognize you as a leader at any level at any time,” he said.
Earlier, the National Chairman of APC Adams Oshiomhole said: ”I have chosen to amplify where we lost but we also made some gains that are quite understanding.
“I think our victory in Kwara for me was most outstanding; we now generally refer to Kwara with pride as the Otooge revolution.
Present at the meeting were former interim National Chairman of APC, Chief Bisi Akande, Secretary to Government of the Federation Boss Mustapha, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, Senate President Ahmed Lawan, and Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege, among others.
