Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State
Eko Hot Blog reports that Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State has described the presidential candidacy of Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) as a “good omen” for his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He, however, said that Obi’s candidacy is bad news for the major opposition party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), in the 2023 presidential election.
The APC stalwart made these claims during an interview on Channels Television on Monday evening.
According to Ganduje, the APC’s major contender is the PDP.
The Kano governor, who noted that the ruling party does not play well in the southeastern part of Nigeria, said the PDP should be concerned about losing votes to the LP in the southeast, which is traditionally the party’s stronghold.
“Our major contender is the PDP,” he said. “What is our political investment in the souteast? The votes we got from Nasarawa Local Government in Kano Metropolitan Area was much higher than the total votes APC got in the entire five states of the South-East.
“So, you can see that if there is any problem politically in the South-East, it is the PDP that will suffer the brush. So, the emergence of Obi from the South-eastern part of this country I think it’s the votes of PDP that he will snatch away and is already snatching away.
“For APC, I think it is even a good omen. Instead of having a very close competitor, now the attention of the competitor has been diverted.”
Ganduje also drew attention to the internal crisis in the PDP as further cause for the party to be worried about its chances in the forthcoming election.
“Apart from the problem they have within the political party, especially the G5, there is also the factor of Obi. So, any political analyst would know that the emergence of Labour Party is a minus to PDP and by extrapolation, it is a plus to our great party, the APC,” Ganduje said.
Since former Vice President Atiku Abubakar emerged as the PDP presidential candidate in May, five governors in the party, also known as the G5 or ‘Integrity Group,’ have sought the resignation or removal of the party’s National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, citing regional balance in the party’s structure. They have refused to participate in the party’s presidential campaign until their demand is met.
The governors include Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Samuel Ortom of Benue State, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State, and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State.
Last week, Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State, Obi’s home state, suggested that the LP presidential candidate is hurting the PDP, his former party, and increasing the chances of the APC.
Click here to watch our video of the week:
The Oyo State Government has taken decisive action in response to the tragic death of…
Ex-Queen of the Ooni of Ife, Prophetess Naomi Shikemi, the principal organizer of the tragic…
Ekohotblog reports that the historic Epe Club is gearing up to celebrate its 50th anniversary…