President is "most credible uniting force" in Nigeria, says Oyegun

National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), John Odigie-Oyegun, believes no opposition candidate can defeat President Muhammadu Buhari because they cannot match up to his pedigree as a uniting force.

While speaking during an interview with New Telegraph on Sunday, March 18, 2018, the APC chieftain said anyone that hopes to defeat President Buhari is living a dream as he's shown Nigerians that he has the capacity to uplift the country, despite setbacks.

Oyegun said prominent presidential aspirants such as former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, former JigawaState governor, Sule Lamido, and Gombe State governor, Ibrahim Dankwambo, who are all in the opposition People's Democratic Party (PDP), are incapable of dethroning Buhari.

He said, "As at today, Buhari remains the most credible uniting force in the Nigerian nation. We are not saying that there are no difficulties, there are, but tell me somebody else who has the kind of status, the kind of presence and the kind of symbolism that Buhari has? If you tell me, maybe, we can start comparing them.

"I am not talking about the party alone, but the entire nation. Tell me, who you can compare electorally and in terms of what he reflects and represents for the nation? Go to my village and mention Dankwambo; they will ask you from which planet is he from. Let me not treat him special from any of the above you mentioned. Atiku has been with us, he is a significant political force in this nation, no question about that.

"Let me not say anything more than that because he is somebody I like as a person, but we are talking about uniting the country So, we need somebody who stands for what the people want to see the nation become. That is the beauty of President Buhari.

"Everybody is saying that they have the capacity to defeat President Buhari, when it is clear that they are enjoying their dreams.

"What else do you expect people, who are hopeful to say? They shouldn't bother to compare themselves to President Buhari. They should just say that they command the loyalty of the vast majority of Nigerian people.

"These are people who are not known, probably outside their local governments or their states. They are just struggling for relevance within the PDP."

Oyegun further dismissed the chances of the PDP to wrest power back from the APC, noting that the party's "past is still much recent" and that internal division will prevent them from being a force.

2019 presidential race

Motivational speaker and leadership coach, Fela Durotoye, became the second aspirant to officially declare his intention to contest for president after he joined the Alliance for a New Nigeria (ANN) on February 22, 2018. Omoyele Sowore, the publisher of online news platform, Sahara Reporters, declared his intention to run just days later on February 25.

Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose,remains the only other candidate to have officially declared his intention to contest after his announcement in September 2017.

Former governor of Cross River State, Donald Duke, belongs to a growing list of prominent Nigerians who have dropped hints that they may contest in the 2019 presidential elections.

Founder of the Latter Rain Assembly, PastorTunde Bakare revealed to his congregation on January 1, 2018, that God wants him to run for president despite his plan to quit politics for good.

Even though President Muhammadu Buhari has refused to officially declare his reelection bid, he has also dropped hints over the past two months, and is expected to face former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, who is also in contention.