At the weekend, the PDP raked in about N21 billion for its campaign. The APC is getting set for action, with a meeting today of its Chibuke Amaechi-led campaign committee.
There is optimism in the APC that its candidate, Gen. Muhammadu buhari, will defeat PDP’s President Goodluck Jonathan.
Former House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Bello Masari, who is Katsina State APC governorship candidate, spoke about how, in his view, Gen. Buhari will win the election.
Masari said should the people’s votes count, Gen. Buhari would beat President Jonathan hands down.
He spoke in Kaduna during a meeting with Katsina State indigenes resident in Kaduna.
According to him, bad leadership, corruption and lack of foresight are the problems of the Jonathan administration.
He said: “Take the number of votes from Northwest, take the number of votes from Southwest; 90 per cent of Northeast is APC, 90 per cent of Northwest is APC, 80 per cent of South-west is APC. Edo is APC. The worst scenario is Rivers. There we have the state government, so it cannot be easy for anybody to try and rig election there.
“We all know that the entire population of Southsouth is not up to Lagos or Kano. We know the total number of voters in the Southeast. The only stronghold of PDP now is the Southsouth and the Southeast. As at today, the collection of PVC in the PDP stronghold is not more than 30 %, so let us see how 100 per cent will come.”
President Jonathan’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs Dr. Doyin Okupe last week said election is not mathematics.
Okupe, speaking during his visit to a media house in Lagos, said the calculation that APC would win the presidential election is “an error.”
Gen. Buhari has mandated the party to ensure that his campaign team reflects all tendencies in the party.
He also urged the party to seek input from all presidential aspirants, APC governors and party leaders at all levels.
In deference to Gen. Buhari’s request, APC National Chairman Chief John Odigie-Oyegun will today meet in Abuja with the Presidential Campaign Organisation Director-General Governor Amaechi and the Chairman of the Campaign Advisory Committee, Mr. Audu Ogbeh on how to constitute an all-inclusive campaign team.
A source told our correspondent that Buhari unfolded his plans to key associates at a meeting in Kaduna.
He said he would not want his campaign personalised as it happened when he contested on the platform of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and the Congress for Progressives Change (CPC).
The source quoted Gen. Buhari as saying: “This time around, I want party ownership of the campaign. The campaign team will reflect all the tendencies in the party.
“Some of you who have been with me over the years may not be included but I want everyone involved because this is a collective mandate. The overall target of defeating PDP is more important than personalising the campaign.”
Responding to a question, the source added: “Buhari said all presidential aspirants, governors and leaders at all levels will be involved in his campaign.
“So, Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, ex- VP Atiku Abubakar, Governor Rochas Okorocha, Mr. Sam Nda Isaiah and all the governors will play key roles in the APC campaign. They have rich experience in politics and campaign that cannot be wished away.
“The colour of APC campaign will be based on grassroots mobilisation. We want to take PDP to the cleaners. The ruling party may rely on money; we will campaign for change and explain why it is necessary to effect this change.”
Another source added: “The APC will be decorous and lay the facts on the table for Nigerians to appreciate that a change is desirable for the nation in 2015.”
The APC plans to make what a member of the NWC described as “substantial” inroads into the SouthSouth and the Southeast.
The NWC member said: “APC is targeting huge votes from these two zones where it has been stigmatised.
“ By the time the people of the two zones realise the misrule of the PDP, the story will be different at the poll in February 2015.
Speaking on his chances in the Katsina governorship race, Masari told his supporters:”We are in democracy. We must deepen democracy. And we believed in 2011 we won the governorship election in Katsina. Even those who were responsible for the collation of election results told me personally that we won the election.
“So this 2015, we are not afraid. All what we want is give the people what will make them vote; simple.”
On his plans for the people, if elected as governor in 2015, Masari said Katsinans are farmers adding that he would revamp agriculture.
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