TODAY IN HISTORY: 18 December 2006; General Mohammadu Buhari emerges ANPP presidential candidate

On this day in 2006, ex-Head of State, General Muhammadu Buhari emerged the presidential flag bearer of All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP).

The party had shifted its national convention three times before it was finally held on 18th December. The convention earlier scheduled to take place on Thursday August 24, 2006, was rescheduled to September 1st and 2nd. 

The party later fixed the convention to December 15 and 16 but the high-wired political intrigues by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), forced the party to reschedule its national convention earlier fixed for December 15 and 16, to 17 and 18 of December at the Eagle Square, Abuja.

The rescheduling, which was ratified at the emergency National Executive Committee (NEC), meeting of the party on December 12, was necessitude by acute shortage of accommodation, as the ruling PDP had booked most of the hotels for its national convention, which also falls on the 15 and 16 of December.

The ANPP arrived at the decision to shift the national convention at a meeting chaired by its interim national chairman, Governor Ali Modu Sherrif, in Maiduguri.