A group of presidential candidates from opposition parties who participated in the 2023 presidential election have appealed to President Bola Tinubu to consider them for appointments in his government. The candidates, under the aegis of the Forum of Concerned Presidential Candidates, made their plea during a courtesy visit to the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, at the party’s secretariat in Abuja.
The delegation included Charles Nnadi, the presidential candidate of the Action Peoples Party; Felix Osakwe, the presidential candidate of the National Rescue Movement; Prof Peter Umeadi, the flag bearer of the All Progressives Grand Alliance; Dr. Odey Udo, the Vice Presidential Candidate of the Action Democratic Party; and Adewale Adeogun, the leader of the team.
During the visit, Felix Osakwe emphasized that they were not engaged in bitter politics and had chosen not to challenge the election results in court, demonstrating their willingness to work collaboratively. Osakwe requested that they be included in the campaign councils for the November 11 gubernatorial elections in Imo, Bayelsa, and Kogi States, as they were ready to contribute to the president’s agenda of inclusive politics.
He stated, “I feel Mr. Chairman, you will be the right person to lead us to meet with Mr. President. So that we can air our own views in his presence and also to let him know that it is not all the presidential candidates that were against him. We chose not to go to court because this is Nigeria. We are here to thank you and God. The former presidential candidates are willing to offer our services to this country. We have a demand and it is for the party. That a slot in the campaign council for the Governorship elections should be made available to us.”
In response, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje commended the group for supporting the president’s vision of inclusive politics and a government of national unity. He assured them that he would convey their request to President Bola Tinubu.
Ganduje also took the opportunity to criticize an undisclosed presidential candidate who had allegedly taken over a political party and turned it into a revenue-generating platform. He praised the visiting presidential candidates for being good ambassadors of their respective political parties and not destroying their parties for personal gain.
The APC national chairman concluded by reassuring the delegation that they would be included in the campaigns for the gubernatorial elections in the three states scheduled for November.
