The national Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, says his party is confident of winning the 2019 election because Nigerians are not ready to give the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), a second chance.
Mr Oshiomhole stated this Thursday in a short interview with State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa Abuja after he met with President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
Mr Oshiomhole said although the PDP had said they will be in power for 60 years and that if Nigerians rejected them after just 16 years, it is a sign that the citizens are fed up with the party.
“They wanted to do 60 years, but they were terminated, no employer will recall an employee dismissed due to gross misconduct and abuse of finances you don’t recall the employee back,” he said.
The APC chairman said even after their failure, “all that the PDP could do was to apologise through its National Chairman, Uche Secondus”.
“I remember that the best Secondus had to say was that he was apologising to Nigerian people and I have not heard anybody say they have accepted the apology. People who have robbed you, they don’t apologise and say allow me back into your store room, you don’t do that,” he said.
Mr Oshiomhole said even though the APC is not perfect, nothing can make Nigerians get so confused “as to think that yesterday there was mismanagement and those who were at the heart of that mismanagement can be entrusted with providing leadership for tomorrow”.
“I don’t think that is the question at all. PDP is out of this calculation as far as I am concerned. PDP is just not an option particularly when their candidate is not a new face.”
Why Atiku Doesn’t Deserve Presidency
Mr Oshiomhole also said the candidate of the PDP, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar does not deserve the votes of Nigerians.
He said Mr Abubakar had been part of the PDP years and does not, therefore, deserve “the benefit of the doubt”.
“You can give benefit of the doubt to a stranger, not to someone who was at the heart, perhaps one of the most powerful vice president we have ever had. So I am clear that Nigeria will never ever have a basis to give PDP the benefit of the doubt,” he said.
The APC chairman also spoke about the kick off of the party’s presidential campaign slated for Friday at Akwa Ibom State.
He said the choice of South-south geopolitical zone as the first rally by Mr Buhari is “particularly significant”.
“From all the feelers, we have, I think the people of Akwa Ibom State are anxious to receive Mr. President and to hear the message. We are all in good mood,” he said.
