Gov. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal has indicated what his party – the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), must observe and accomplish if it were to wrestle power from the incumbent All Progressives Congress (APC) in the forthcoming elections next year.
These, against the backdrops of the outcomes of recent bye-elections in Abuja Municipal Area Councils (AMAC), Cross River, Imo, Ondo and Plateau states, include: intensive voters’ education, campaign against rigging, mobilization of rural voters, guarding votes cast and exploiting the schisms threatening the cohesion of the APC in many parts of the country.
Gov. Tambuwal, who made these observations Monday when a presidential bid contact and consultation committee of former Senate President Bukola Saraki paid him a courtesy call, said: PDP leaders are united in the quest for a credible, strong, virile, purposeful and focused leadership “with the objective of rescuing Nigeria.”
He challenged President Muhammadu Buhari, who benefitted from the conduct of a such elections superintended by the PDP in 2015, to “improve the process and the electoral system in Nigeria so that, by the grace of God, when we win, he will hand over to us as a party, God willing.”
“I believe, he should have the interest of this country at heart, not APC and not any individual. This country has been kind to President Muhammadu Buhari. He seized power in 1983 and was elected President after having been forgiven by Nigerians for truncating democracy.
“What he owes Nigeria, now…is the establishment of the security of lives and property; and, free and fair electoral process,” Gov. Tambuwal stressed.
He advised the PDP to study and analyze the aforementioned bye-elections and take note of the “problems in APC and take lessons from these elections going forward.”
“It is very important that we do a clear and dispassionate analysis of voting patterns as we proceed and approach 2023. If we do so, we will be guided as a party when it comes to putting forward our candidates.
“We should not be carried away by winning that important and coveted Federal Constituency (Jos North) election, but we should go down and be what we are: a party of people who are skilled in politics, endowed with leaders who are very knowledgeable and skillful in the electoral processes and election management,” the Governor cautioned.
Tambuwal, who is also the Chairman of the PDP-Governors Forum appealed to all stakeholders in the party to “work together, since the objective is the same and ensure that we deliver and rescue Nigeria.”