BY BENEDICT NWACHUKWU, ABUJA
Former National Secretary of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mohammed Sanusi, has boasted that the party will record a clean sweep of the votes in Kano State in the forthcoming Presidential election billed for February 2023.
Sanusi said the people of Kano State will overwhelmingly cast their votes for the party’s candidate Atiku Abubakar and make sure he gets 4.2 million votes from the six million registered votes.
The PDP Chieftain claimed that the rift between the party standard bearer, Atiku and Gov Nyesom Wike following the outcome of the Presidential Primary will not truncate the party’s victory in 2023.
He warned the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to desist from wanting to feast on the misunderstanding by luring the Rivers State governor to join them, noting that Gov Wike cannot for any reason join the party that has no reputation having totally destroyed the little left of Nigeria.
“The APC are wasting their time. Nyesom Wike knows where he belongs. He can’t abandon his house to join a collapsing party. Nyesom Wike built the party with others and equally benefited from the party, I don’t think he is going anywhere, not even the APC.
“We have studied the atmosphere in Kano and following the reports we have been gathering, the PDP has no competitor in Kano. Yes, Mallam Rabiu Kwankwaso is a very popular candidate, but he has no financial muscle to prosecute the forthcoming elections having spent much in 2019.
“He has his followers no doubt, but politics, particularly elections, are beyond having followers. You must have the finances to set up structure in the Ward, Local Government and State. Kwankwaso doesn’t have this for now. We have been meeting with all those that matter from the traditional rulers to the top party faithful and chieftains and the reports we are getting are assurances that Kano belongs to Atiku Abubakar.
“As Tinubu boasts of Lagos State that is how Atiku is boasting of Kano and I can assure you, the 4.2 million votes for Atiku and the PDP are intact.
Kwankwaso is struggling to see if he can win the Governorship election for his party the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) but he has the incumbent to contend with.”
The former PDP national scribe said the Kano State chapter of the party is united and are going into the 2023 election as a united force. He said the party leaders in the state have waded into the Governorship ticket’s tussle between Mohammed Abacha and Sadiq Wali but would not take any decision since the matter is in Court.
He, however, disclosed that the party leaders during their mediation approached Mohammed Abacha who requested that they should meet her mother, the former First Lady, Hajia Miriam Abacha but they made him to realise that only the elders of the party will do that.
“As Tinubu boasts of Lagos State that is how Atiku is boasting of Kano and I can assure you, the 4.2 million votes for Atiku and the PDP are intact. Kwankwaso is struggling to see if he can win the Governorship election for his party the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP)”
Sani-Bello insisted that the APC and its candidate Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu have no place in the forthcoming elections because no governor from the North has the integrity to campaign for the party and for Tinubu. He said the governors performed woefully even below zero level and wondered about the face with which they will campaign to Nigerians.
“In all honesty no northern governor has what it takes to convince the Kano people to vote for APC or NNPP. For now they don’t have integrity. As a matter of fact, if you look at their performances you will see that no northern governor has the integrity to stand before the Kano people and even the people they are ruling in their various states to canvass for votes for APC and Tinubu and even Kwankwaso. This is also because the popularity of APC has completely diminished in all the states and the governors performed below standard. At the same time, you know up to this moment, you know our politics is based on religious and tribal sentiments. So, Kano State governor, Alhaji Ganduje cannot look at the faces of Kano people and ask them to vote for APC.
They performed woefully and PDP is of course the party to beat for now.
“We have 4.2 million votes for Atiku. We have set up committees, that is planning and strategies committee to start planning for the election. We have put executives in the Wards, as I talk to you, Kano State PDP has appointed men of high integrity, and unquestionable character to head these places and we will select party faithful who cannot sell their conscience for whatever money to man the polling units. These are highly respected personalities who will not compromise. I assure you 4.2 million votes for Alhaji Atiku Abubakar will come from Kano.”
The PDP Chieftain further claimed that mobilising the said 4.2 million votes for Atiku is not a huge task. He said it’s not only party faithful that will vote for Atiku and noted that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by its record of voter’s register released confirms that Kano has six million registered voters. And so far from survey and consultations made with leaders of thought, and made available to us, I came to a conclusion that come 2023 Atiku Abubakar will get 4.2 million votes from Kano.
“Tinubu and APC should forget the elections. The PDP has cleared Kano. Mohammed Abacha and Sadiq Wali have agreed to work for the party and our candidate, Atiku, so the rumours about Abacha defecting is neither here nor there and even if he may leave the party, he will not work for APC and Tinubu. I want to make it very clear to APC. If not that the matter is in Court we would have mediated, and ask one of them to go to the Senate but we can’t take a decision on a matter already in Court
“As we continue mobilisation, we are telling the people to vote for Atiku Abubakar and all other positions for PDP. We are working very hard to make sure this comes to past.”
