BEVERLY HILLS, August 13, (THEWILL) – The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, has predicted a second defeat for the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the next round of elections, adding that Nigerians would reject the main opposition party in the presidential race and other key elective offices in 2019.
APC’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, stated this while reacting to PDP’s threat to kick APC out of office in 2019, insisting that the ruling party, from all indications, remains the preferred party of most Nigerians.
Leaders of the PDP, including former President Goodluck Jonathan; its chairman, national caretaker committee, Senator Ahmed Makarfi and Delta State governor who was the chairman of the Convention Planning Committee, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, had predicted a return of the party to power in 2019.
Makarfi, while addressing the convention, asserted that “We wish our President well and will continue to pray for his full recovery. We want him to be fit and well when we’ll defeat the APC in the next general election.
“We will continue to pray for him (Buhari) but that does not mean we will go to sleep. We will work hard to replace the APC government come 2019 election”.
Okowa, who spoke in the same vein, also maintained that the fact that the PDP had surmounted its greatest difficulties in the last two years was an indication of its resilience and determination of its members to regain power in 2019.
According to him, “Let it be known, today, to all Nigerians, who prayed for us during our time of travail that the PDP is back with a bang. We shall not disappoint you. We are back.
“We must realise that there is a champion in each and everyone of us in the party, and that a collective leadership and partnership, resolve to do things right is all that we need to build the strength to recapture power”.
The APC spokesman told newsmen in Abuja that PDP members were latching on to a number of things, including restructuring to gain the attention of Nigerians, but insisted that the country cannot be deceived by the opposition party.
He maintained that despite the return of the PDP to political limelight, Nigerians would still reject the party because it does not believe in restructuring, which is presently a critical issue in the polity.
Abdullahi said, “Restructuring is the main issue for Nigerians right now. Nigerians have concluded that the status quo is not working for them and they want some structural changes that would enhance effective governance; that government operates for the good of the people.
“But the PDP has shown it does not believe in restructuring. For that alone Nigerians won’t vote for them come 2019. They held two National Conferences and it was never on their plans. It is not in their manifesto and it cannot be in their plans towards 2019. Nigerians want a country that will work for them and they know the PDP cannot provide the kind of government that would deliver. APC remains the party to beat by a wide margin in 2019”.
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