Yekini Nabena, the newly-appointed Acting National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress APC, has said that the defection of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal and others from the party will not affect the chances of President Muhammadu Buhari getting re-elected in 2019.
According to him, Saraki and the others do not possess the sagacity to affect the goodwill of President Buhari in terms of grassroots’ support.
The ruling party’s mouthpiece said this during a chat with journalists in Abuja on Sunday, adding that most of those defecting to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, were political feather-weight.
He said, “I can tell you authoritatively that the defections will not affect the President’s re-election. It is public knowledge that Saraki’s popularity is limited to Kwara.
“He does not have any power to determine what happens in Kogi or other North Central states where the President still enjoys substantial support.
“Please, note that Saraki’s popularity is limited to Kwara alone. He has to contend with latest agitations by certain people who are now questioning what he has done for the state in the last 15 years.
“You will recall that when the deadliest Offa robbery took place, there was no single Armoured Personnel Carrier in the state to confront the robbers. That shows lack of development in the state.
“When you talk of Tambuwal, you all know that he is not in control of Sokoto State.
“His godfather, Senator Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, whose structure he used to become Governor, is still with us. You have seen what happened when Wammako visited Sokoto on Saturday.
“For emphasis, in Sokoto, the Deputy Governor, we have 2 senators, 9 members of the House of Representatives, 12 out of the 30 State House of Assembly members and the massive supporters in the state.
“For Benue State, Governor Samuel Ortom, you know that the man is facing crisis of acceptance. He has to contend with those who have been working to ensure that PDP is still a strong party in the state. I am talking of former Governor Gabriel Suswam.
“He will also have to prove that Senator George Akume is not a household name in Benue. Time will tell who controls Benue in due course.
“Regarding other defecting lawmakers, most of them must get the tickets to run first while it is certain most of them will not win their reelection as other dynamic candidates are eager to replace them for positive development of the country,” Nabena added.
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