Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja
The North-west National Vice Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Salihu Lukman, has said that the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, was not a threat to the ruling party ahead of the 2023 elections.
Lukman stated this while speaking with select journalists yesterday in Abuja, however, said that the APC would work hard to achieve success in the forthcoming elections without dismissing anyone.
He said that the difference between APC and the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) and other political parties was that APC was grounded in the minds of the people.
Lukman said: “We have made it very clear. The difference between APC in 2015 and Kwankwaso in 2023 is that APC was grounded in the minds of people. You can see for yourself but in the case of other parties, including PDP, what they are hoping they are waiting for us to mismanage ourselves on the basis of which they pack whatever we are not able to achieve.
“Now, the reality is that we are not taking anything for granted. We are not dismissing people. We are going to work hard.”
Bearing his mind on the backlash as a result of the Muslim-Muslim ticket by the party, Lukman assured that the Presidential Candidate of the APC, Senator Bola Tinubu, woukd protect the interest of all.
He added: “You see, my position, which I have always buttressed, is that politics is about contest and managing interests. Certainly the party leadership would have considered all the factors with respect to the running mate. In the end, we have to convince Nigerians that Muslim-Muslim ticket or however you look at it does not mean discrimination against anybody.”
Reacting to the recent outburst of the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Babchir Lawal, on the Muslim-Muslim ticket, Lukam said that the national publicity secretary of the party should be in a better position to respond to it.
