The National Vice Chairman (Northwest) of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Salihu Moh. Lukman, has said the gale of defections of political leaders from opposition parties into the governing party in the region signposts victory for the party’s presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on February 25.
In a statement yesterday in Abuja, Lukman said: “We want to thank all our people and re-affirm the commitment of our party, our leaders and all our candidates to continue to provide honest, sincere and responsive leadership.
“…We congratulate all our candidates for their ability to lead the mobilisation of party members, supporters and other citizens ahead of the 2023 elections.
“Part of what must be acknowledged today is the fact that across all the seven states in the Northwest, our leaders and candidates have been able to reconcile with all party leaders and members and accordingly resolved all the challenges arising from internal party contests leading to the emergence of candidates for the 2023 elections.
“The ability of our party leaders to reconcile and forge a united front in the Northwest Zone is largely responsible for all the successful rallies in all the seven states.
“We also wish to acknowledge the successful campaign rallies and activities of all our candidates across all seven states, which are responsible for increasing the level of confidence of citizens in our party and our candidates and the large defection of political leaders from other opposition parties to the APC, including the Jigawa governorship candidate of Labour Party and serving commissioners in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government of Sokoto State.
“All these signposts of victory for the APC in the Northwest for our presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in the presidential election of February 25, 2023, and all our candidates for the National Assembly.
“It also signposts victory in the governorship and State Assembly elections in all the seven states of the Northwest. We are very confident that with Allah’s blessing all the seven states of Northwest, including Sokoto State, will be APC states as of May 29, 2023.
“As we move to Election Day on February 25, 2023, we are confident that our leaders in all the seven states of the Northwest will give all necessary guidance to party members, candidates, and all party supporters.
“We call on all members of the Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) from the zone to join all our party leaders at state levels to ensure the effective mobilisation of voters on Election Day. We must remind everyone that in the end, politics is local and victory in the election will be at the polling units.
“Without doubt, APC Northwest presidential rally has affirmed that the Northwest is APC and APC is Northwest. We must remind Nigerians that the political history of Nigeria has shown that every presidential candidate that wins the votes of the Northwest wins the Presidency.
“With APC leaders united in Northwest, supported by all party members and all candidates at all levels, in sha Allah (God permitting), APC presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, will win the February 25, 2023, presidential election in the Northwest and will be returned eventually as President-elect of the Federal Republic of Nigeria!”