Kwakwanso: Why APC Dropped Consensus Initiative

Kwakwanso: Why APC Dropped Consensus Initiative

15 Oct 2014

Gov. Rabiu Kwankwaso

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The Kano State Governor and one of the presidential aspirants on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Rabiu Kwankwaso, has defended the decision of the party to jettison the consensus arrangement in preference to primaries.

Kwakwanso, who spoke  with journalists in Abuja yesterday shortly after being honoured with an award by the Leadership Newspaper for his boldness in leading the revolt against his former party, the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP), said there were feelings that subjecting aspirants to primaries would create better chances for the opposition to emerge victorious.

“Consensus is part of the belief of the party, but the fact of the matter is we have seen in the PDP, from 1999 to 2011 every election year there was primary election and primary election in my opinion strengthens the party. Therefore, probably that is why the PDP has been winning elections.

The governor said he was confident that his party would come out with a candidate that would be generally accepted by the party and by extension, Nigerians.

“On the other hand, every other parties because of their weaknesses were not doing primaries, and we are losing so much in terms of people going round to mobilise support for their aspirations, and by extension, the party itself.

“So I believe that at the end of the day, our party will come out with a candidate that would be generally accepted by the party and by extension, Nigeria

“I think the award given to seven of us was based on our struggle to ensure that we champion democracy within the party, was a struggle to ensure that leaders at all levels who are engaged in impunity are brought  to their levels, and that is why we work so hard under the leaderships of the governors of Jigawa and Niger, then five of us decided to leave PDP.

“I believe that all Nigerians are yearning for change today, they have seen what happened since the recent years in terms of leadership at the national level, we have seen a very serious problem of insecurity, corruption and poor economy.

“Nigerians today across the country are yearning for change that is why in our party we also believe in change and we believe that very soon from 2015 change is imminent in Nigeria,” he said.