Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has said that the emergence of former Head of State, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd.), as the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is the best democratic pill to galvanise Nigerians towards the needed change.

He said that Buhari is not just the candidate of the APC but that of the entire Nigerians who have been yearning for a dramatic and total change.

Aregbesola said the decision by all party men and women to elect the former Head of State demonstrates the commitment to presenting a candidate who would not only win the presidential election but go ahead to rescue Nigeria from the present quagmire anti-democratic and anti-development elements had brought her in more than a decade and a half.

A statement issued yesterday by the Director, Bureau of Communication and Strategy in the Osun Governor’s Office, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, quoted Aregbesola as speaking shortly after the declaration of Buhari as the presidential candidate of APC on Thursday after a keenly contested primary held in Lagos.

He quoted the governor as saying: “We must congratulate Nigerians for the emergence of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari as the presidential candidate of our party. The excitements, commendations and jubilations that have greeted the election and consequently the announcement of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari are clear demonstrations of the fact that Nigerians have been anxious and now poised for an immediate change in Nigeria.

“It is clear now that Nigerians are determined to jettison their religious, tribal, partisan and other mundane interests to rally support for our candidate. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, I can confidently say, is not just the candidate of the All Progressives Congress but the popular choice of entire Nigerians.”

Reminding Nigerians of the urgent need to fix the country, Aregbesola said the outcome of the primary election itself confirmed that the APC has taken transparency, the fight against corruption and graft to a new height.

“People have chosen the best man for the job regardless of all other less edifying considerations. Buhari represents the face of the required battle against corruption. He represents openness and commitment to good governance. For those who consider the awful impact of corruption on our country, the choice of Gen Buhari would easily translate to the readiness of Nigerians to battle against the most debilitating scourge against the country’s growth,” Aregbesola said.

Listing the challenges that lay before an APC government at the centre, the governor reminded Nigerians that the 16 years of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the centre has spelt economic doom, political complications and social morass.

“We have witnessed the most horrendous crimes against the soul of this country. There has been a mindless rape of the country by a gang of looters who have made Nigeria a laughing stock in the comity of other nations,” he said, adding:

“There is needless hunger in a country with many untapped opportunities. All the critical sectors have been bled to states of coma and what we have left as a country is fractured entity gasping for breath.

“With the election of General Muhammadu Buhari, Nigerians are assured that a new Nigeria is possible.”

•Photo shows Buhari.

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