Date: 2021-05-17

A contender for the office of the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Malam Salihu Mustapha, has urged Nigerians to support President Muhammadu Buhari in the fight against insurgency and banditry in the country.

Mustapha who acknowledged the challenges bedeviling the country, however, pointed out that Buhari was doing his best in the circumstance.

The APC chieftain spoke in Ilorin during a media parley organised by the Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Kwara State council.

He urged Nigerians, especially the critics of the Buhari administration to exercise restraints in their comments regarding the security challenges facing the country.

Rather, he said everyone should join hands with the nation's leadership to tackle the menace of insurgency and banditry headlong in order to fastrack the development of every section of the country.

"On the problem of insecurity facing the country, President Muhammadu Buhari is doing his best in the circumstance. There are challenges but Mr President is addressing them with all sense of responsibility.

"I urge Nigerians to be patient with Buhari and cooperate with the government in its desire to put an end to insecurity in the country. We must exercise patient and restraints in our comments and criticisms. We must appreciate that those in government are people like us," Mustapha stated.

On his APC national chairmanship aspiration, Mustapha said he has all it takes to lead the ruling party successfully, if given the mandate.

Noting that every politics is local, the Ilorin-born politician expressed delight that he has the support of Kwara State governor, AbdulRahaman AbdulRazaq, in his quest to become APC national chairman even as he boasted that he was not afraid of other contenders.

"I'm not scared by the big names in the contest. I'm well prepared for the job having served as deputy national chairman of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC). I also have all it takes to win the contest and lead our great party to a more greater heights," he added.

Mustapha, however, canvassed a level playing field for all the contestants to ensure the emergence of the most popular candidate as the APC national chairman.