July 18, (THEWILL) – The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Adamu, says he will never underestimate the power of the opposition parties, including the Labour Party (LP), ahead of next year’s elections.
Adamu, who was speaking on Arise TV on Sunday, however, insisted that his party is more organised and stands a better chance to win the 2023 presidential election.
According to Adamu, his experience in politics has taught him never to underestimate the powers of his rivals.
He described the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Iyorchia Ayu; and the LP’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, as people who are well grounded and mean well for the country.
He said, “Honestly I have never ever underestimated the capacity of my opponents, I will not do so now. This is not the first time I will be party chairman, I have been secretary of the party, I have been chairman of the party at the state level, I have faced elections, I have won some and lost some, I have no reason whatsoever to doubt my opponent.
“The gentleman who is chairman of PDP is a friend of mine, we have known, even before we got these positions.
“Peter Obi, I knew him when he was governor of Anambra state, I visited him. These are people who mean well as far as I’m concerned, from their outbursts they mean well. They are well grounded, I don’t have doubts about that.
“So I have no reason whatsoever to underestimate their ability to lead their people to victory.”
The APC National Chairman, however, boasted that his party is more organised and stands a better chance to win next year’s elections.
“I am telling you that we are better organised. We have a higher number of followership. We have got the register of members of the party, you can verify it.
“These other parties don’t have.
“I don’t contemplate any situation that will make us not to win the election in 2023.”
On the suit by the PDP seeking disqualification of its Presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, from contesting the 2023 presidency, Adamu said, it is not something to lose sleep over.
The PDP had filed a suit against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Tinubu and Obi for replacing their placeholders with other running mates.
Adamu said the laws of this land were absolutely clear, adding that no matter how mischievous anyone wanted to be, there is the law.
He said as far as the APC was concerned, it had a convention, where a candidate was chosen for an election.
According to him, within the legal space available to the party and to give it room to assess the candidates that would be desirous for their running mate or vice presidential candidate, the party had to submit a name that would hold the position for its nomination.
“The laws of INEC do allow for this. If it doesn’t, we won’t contemplate. It is within the confine and dictates of our electoral laws in this country. It is not something to lose sleep over.
“We now have a running mate that we have submitted to the INEC. Simple! If you say the PDP has gone to court, let the court decide on the case. It is subjudice anyway”, he said.
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