By Olugbenga Salami
Ahead of the presidential primary election of the All Progressives Party, APC, the Senate President and one of the aspirants, Dr. Ahmad Lawan has called on the party delegates not to vote for a politician, but “a leader with absolutely no-baggage” that would lead and not rule Nigerians.
In an open letter to the delegates, Lawan specifically appealed for their votes during the primary so that he could be the flag-bearer during the 2023 presidential election.
He promised to defend the constitution, democracy, Nigeria and “every single Nigerian from every nook and cranny, across the length and breadth of the nation and from every corner.”
The presidential aspirant, therefore, urged the delegates to “put Nigeria first and give thought to the future of 215,763,437 (million) Nigerians, a lot of whom will appreciate the sagacious determination you will make during this process.”
“At this point, it is not lost on me that we must come together as one party and as one nation, for we have a great deal to mend, to rehabilitate, to reinstall and so much more to achieve. We have a unique chance to measure up to every expectation and show Nigeria and the world that democracy triumphs. And that journey shall start during the APC presidential primary election process”, he stated.
Lawan also charged them to put pecuniary and monetary incentives aside and seriously consider what is “in the greater good.”
He emphasized that the delegates need to consider an understanding, tolerant, fair, honest, and progressive aspirant that comes with absolutely “No-Baggage.”
“A vital component of any logical, efficient and authentic evaluation of a person involves assessing past behaviour. The key here is that one’s best predictor of future behaviour is past behaviour. If one has always done something a certain way, they are likely to do that same thing in the same manner in the future. The same goes for how one navigates or pillages in leadership.
“Thus, as you, the delegates are determining the APC party presidential flag bearer, it is important to look at past behavior to elicit what behaviors, avarice and rapacity candidates have exhibited in the past. It is important for you to access all candidates along this parameter”, he stressed.
The Senate President further charged them to “look for a leader that will not buy your votes but one that is prepared to sell and deliver your dreams.”
“Dear delegates, I give you my word, I will defend the constitution. I’ll defend our democracy. I will defend Nigeria. I will defend every single Nigerian from every nook and cranny, across the length and breadth of the nation and from every corner. I commit to defend all 371 spectacular tribes existing in this brilliant, colorful, diverse and beautiful nation”, he added.
