Meanwhile, the National Secretary of the APC, Alhaji Maimala Buni, yesterday in Abuja, said the party had adopted Buhari as its candidate for 2019 presidential election.
Answering questions from journalists at the State House, Buni, however, said any other member interested in the presidential race was free to pick the nomination form.
He emphasised that the National Executive Council (NEC) of the party had already endorsed the candidature of the president.
According to him, “Once the National Executive Committee of the party passes a vote of confidence on the president, that president stands accepted because the NEC is the highest organ of the party and it met to take the decision, where every interest was represented.
“So the NEC of APC has passed a vote of confidence on our president and that means every APC member has endorsed him.”
He also said the decision was not new, pointing out that it was the same standard that was obtainable in advanced democracies.
“In advanced democracies, once the NEC of a party passes vote of confidence on the president, nobody contests against the president. The president has been accepted,” he explained.
Buni also said the president would be given the right of first refusal, adding that having accepted the nomination form, it means that he is the party’s presidential candidate in next year’s election.
As at close of collection of nomination forms yesterday, Buhari was the only aspirants that had the forms. The submission of the forms closes today.
