APGA favours Buhari to emerge as president – Punch

Muhannadu Buhari, APC presidential candidate

By Eniola Akinkuotu

The All Progressive Grand Alliance says it cannot throw its weight behind President Goodluck Jonathan as it is very likely that the candidate of the All progressives Congress, Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), will emerge the winner of the presidential election next month.

The Chairman of the Lagos State chapter of APGA, Mr. Campbell Umeh-Nzekwe, who is also a special adviser to the national chairman of the party, said this during an interview with our correspondent, on Sunday.

Umeh-Nzekwe said Jonathan’s problem was compounded by the fact that the motion to adopt him as the consensus candidate of the Igbo for the 2015 presidential election failed at the Ime-Obi (inner caucus) meeting of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, on Saturday, in Enugu.

He added that the sermon of renowned Enugu-based Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka, that Jonathan had failed and should step down seemed to have sent shockwaves across the South-East.

He said the party was sure that Jonathan would not win votes in the North.

He said, “The game has changed. As it is, Jonathan has no chance of winning. Buhari seems to have taken over. The PDP has collapsed in the North if you care to know. All those who are running to Aso Rock and making promises to the President are just deceiving him.”

When asked if APGA would be supporting Buhari next month, Umeh-Nzekwe said he could not say for sure.

He said, “Jonathan is a sitting President with incumbency factor in his favour but Buhari has the masses and a cult following in the North. In 2011, Buhari won 12 million votes in the North with his rag-tag party, the Congress for Progressive Change, without a single governor or senator to campaign for him.

“Today, his party, the APC, has 14 governors, 43 senators and 176 Reps as well as 625 House of Assembly members. Also, the APC has dominant control of the North-West with a total number of 18.4 million voters and North-East with 10.2 million while South-West has 13.4 million voters

“ The PDP has dominant control of the North-Central and Abuja with 10.4 million voters while the South-South has 8.5 million and South-East has 7.2 million votes.

“However, no zone has achieved 50 per cent of votes cast but northern voters are more committed and trustworthy than those in the South.

“Also, look at Jonathan’s campaign team. He has Col. Ahmadu Ali (retd.) as his Director General and Peter Obi as the deputy while Buhari has Governor Rotimi Amaechi and Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora as director general and deputy respectively. It is time for Ndi Igbo to review their strategy.”

Culled from Punch newspaper