2023: Fusion 774 urges Ex-COAS, Buratai to join presidential race

A political support and economic advocacy group, Fusion 774, has urged the former Chief of Army Staff and Nigeria’s Ambassador to the Republic of Benin, Ambassador Tukur Buratai, to join the 2023 presidential race.

The group said it was ready to bear the cost of the All Progressives Congress presidential nomination form should he oblige them.

The National Coordinator of the group, Sediq Jikta, in a statement on Saturday, said he stated that the group was concerned by threats posed to the nation’s security, adding that a president like the former Chief of Army Staff was better poised to handle the situation.

It read, “The call by the members of the group was borne out of the security challenges facing the country. The 23 years of Nigeria’s democratic experiment had witnessed different threats to its survival such as civil disturbances which required experienced hands to pilot its affairs.

“Nigeria is currently in very challenging times and it is important to decide on the right leadership, a leadership with the capacity and ability to deliver and make the country work.

“The achievement of Buratai as a service chief in the fight against insurgency is a pointer to his sterling quality and qualification to vie for the highest office in the land.

“With his achievements, we can see that Buratai is one courageous leader who could step in and bring the much-needed solution to the security challenge and the desired development for the country.

“Fusion 774 is simply the unification of political strength of the 774 Local Government Areas in Nigeria into a virile, strong and formidable political front. By this announcement, we are prepared to purchase the APC nomination form for him in the event that he declares his acceptance and readiness to contest.”

The coordinator said that while the group agreed with the policy of rotational governance for all regions to have a sense of belonging and participation in the governance of the country, it believed that merit should be promoted in times of national catastrophe.

He added that the group reached a consensus that rotational governance should be suspended for a candidate with the requisite capacity to provide a solution to the challenge of national security to emerge.