President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday submitted his nomination and expression of interest forms as prerequisite to contest the 2019 presidential election.

Accompanied by many prominent members of All Progressives Congress (APC), the president submitted his forms, with a charge to the party leadership to prepare and strategise ahead of 2019.

According to Buhari, this is the only way the governing party can effectively stop those who were responsible for the country's woes between 1999 to 2015.

The president told party faithful at the APC national secretariat that he is moved by "unquestionable desire to serve and protect the interest of all Nigerians".

Buhari who arrived at the party secretariat amid tight security made straight for the party's conference hall where he submitted his forms.

He said, "I'm here in person among friends and colleagues to put my name forward to my party, the All Progressives Congress, seeking nomination to contest the presidential election next year 2019.

"Fellow party members, I'm taking this step with all humility, sense of responsibility and an unquestionable desire to serve and protect the interest of all Nigerians".

Urging his party to do all it ' to prevent PDP from returning to power in 2019, the president said, "I'm really grateful to those dozens of organisations who have joined together and contributed fund to purchase this forms. I assure them and the rest of Nigerians that if nominated and if elected, I shall continue to serve you to the best of my ability.

"Let me today appeal to party members not to be complacent but to prepare, strategise and win the 2019 elections. We must not allow those who brought the country to its knees from 1999 to 2015 to come and take us back".

Earlier, national chairman of the APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, maintained that the party has credible persons to conduct direct primaries

Oshiomhole said, "We have credible and verifiable persons to conduct direct primaries on the basis of membership register, stressing that the party give practical expression to aspirants transparently. "Before I am misunderstood or misquoted, it goes to saying that in spite of the fact that we have these credible membership register, it does not in any way nullify or change the decisions of NEC with regards to the flexibility that was agreed to.

"The NWC will strive to give practical expression as transparently as possible so that this party will not only be the largest, but the smartest, the most democratic and most cohesive."