All Progressives Congress, APC chieftain in Niger State, Mohammed Santuraki, has described former Vice President Atiku Abubakar who is a candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as a formidable opponent for the party in the 2019 elections.
Mr Santuraki, who spoke with newsmen in Suleja on Saturday, said that the APC needed to put its house in order before the 2019 general elections.
According to him, the various disputes that came up in the course of the party’s national and states assemblies must be quickly resolved for unity.
He added that the emergence of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential candidate, Abubakar Atiku should serve as a wake-up call for serious home cleaning by APC.
“Whether we would like to admit or not, the presidential candidate that the main opposition party, the PDP, settled for is a formidable opponent, even if not a credible one.
“Within a week of emerging as the presidential flag bearer, he appointed his campaign team and named his running mate. This to me indicates a much needed sense of urgency.
“We, in APC must respond in like manner. The clock is ticking. We must push the button,” he said.
On the disputes within the party in the state, he expressed satisfaction that measures were already being taken to address them.
“I am happy to note that 10 long days after the October 2 primary elections in Niger, better judgment eventually prevailed. Agreed, it was a choice between a rock and a hard place, but it shouldn’t have been a difficult choice.
“While the election results were adjudged incomplete, flawed and inconclusive in Zone A, and the results also contested in the other zones, a greater level of injustice would have been perpetrated if the tickets were auto-awarded to the incumbents.
“It is commendable that the National Chairman finally accepted a more logical reasoning by awarding the victory to the presumed winners of the elections.
“I congratulate and thank Gov. Abubakar Bello, the senatorial aspirants, the elders and other APC stakeholders for their stance on the side of our people for fairness throughout this process.
“I firmly believe that a flawed democratic process is better than outright dictatorship,” he said.
Mr Santuraki, therefore, called for purpose driven measures from the state government, Niger APC and party members to ensure the party’s victory across the country in the 2019 general elections.
NAN
