Dino Melaye takes swipe at Buhari’s use of ‘successor’, urges Nigerians to reject imposition

Dino Melaye, former Kogi West Senator,  has taken a swipe at  the use of “successor” by President Muhammadu Buhari in his address to the All Progressives Congress (APC) governors , saying that  the president should be talking about flag-bearer of his party in 2023 election.

Buhari  had  in his speech at a meeting with APC governors on Tuesday, said as the second -term governors have been “accorded the privilege” of choosing their successors, he would require the support of the party stakeholders in selecting the person who would succeed him.

“In keeping with the established internal policies of the party and as we approach the convention in a few days, I wish to solicit the reciprocity and support of the governors and other stakeholders in picking my successor, who would fly the flag of our party,” Buhari had said.

Reacting on Wednesday to  the Buhari’s statement  Melaye, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said the deliberate use of “successor” suggested that Buhari wants to impose the next president on Nigerians, even as  urged  the electorate  to guard against any form of imposition by the president in the 2023 election.

Said Melaye : “Yesterday, the president made a statement that is sacrilegious, unconstitutional, dictatorial and shows some very inhuman tendencies. The president said the governors of APC should support him to choose his successor.”

“The president deliberately used the word “successor” and not flagbearer or candidate of the APC. That statement has some negative imports and the negative concomitant effect is that the president wants to impose a president on Nigerians.

“We are in a democracy, we will not allow imposition, we will not allow the prescient to handle this country as if we are under a monarchical or hereditary system of government. It is sacrilegious, abominable and undemocratic for the president to talk about a successor in an election that has not been conducted.

“If he says they should support him for a flagbearer, it’s a different matter. I’m calling the attention of Nigerians to be at alert, because the battle to salvage this country from economical cankerworms and financial scavengers is a battle of no retreat, no surrender.”