•Declares: In 2019, they said it would be difficult for us to win, they were wrong, we won
•Says Nigeria’s problems have global dimensions
•Party denies plan to remove Adamu
Hammed Shittu in Ilorin and Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja
Katsina State Governor Aminu Masari, yesterday, boasted that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) would win the 2023 general election, despite the current unpleasant socio-political and worsening security situation in the country.
Masari spoke in Igbaja, Kwara State, during the inauguration of an ultra modern hostel/campus named after him by the management of a private university, Al-Hikma University, Ilorin. He said Nigeria’s current challenges were not in isolation, but had global dimensions.
In another development, the leadership of APC denied alleged plots to remove its National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu.
Examining APC’s chances in the 2023 elections, the Katsina State governor, who spoke with a lot of confidence, explained, “Those saying it will be difficult for the APC to win the forthcoming election, they don’t know what they are saying at all.
“That was what they said in 2019 that it will be difficult for the APC to win, because of the country’s situation, but it has come to pass that they were wrong.
“The fundamental thing is that the issue affecting this country has global dimensions. The whole world is facing crisis and inflation. America is going under the worst inflation in the last 40 years, likewise Ghana, Niger, and our neighbouring countries. We have to appreciate what is going on in the world before we unnecessarily criticise an issue that is global. The issues we have are beyond what one country can solve.
“I consider this as a passing phase in our development journey. Countries that are over 400 years old are still facing some crisis. When did the Irish and British overcome theirs? See, we have history to learn and borrow from and we should pray for our leaders to do what is right. But all of us should know that we have a role and contribution to make.”
Masari said agriculture remained a major sector of the economy that could take Nigeria out of its economic woes, stressing that with the rising cost of food items across the globe, the country must grow its own food to be self-reliant.
The governor recalled that agriculture was the mainstay of the Nigerian economy before the advent of oil.
He stated, “What would have happened to Nigeria without the foresight to revamp the agricultural sector with COVID and the price of crude oil?
“That is one of the greatest achievements of this administration. So, we should grow what we eat and eat what we grow to feed ourselves. If we are not self-sufficient, there is no way we can make progress as a nation.”
Meanwhile, National Publicity Secretary of APC, Mr. Felix Morka, in a statement yesterday said reports that the party planned to replace its national chairman were based on the imagination of its sponsors.
The statement read, “The attention of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been drawn to opposition-sponsored media reports on plots to remove the national chairman of the party, Senator Abdullahi Adamu.
“The reports are based on the imagination of its sponsors, ostensibly, unnerved by the remarkable achievements of Senator Adamu since assuming office as the national chairman.”
APC noted that its leaders were currently focused on the important task of building a strong and vibrant electoral campaign ahead of the 2023 general election, and they would not be distracted by boring chirps of idle speculators.
Morka said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was quite welcome to continue to dissipate its energies on innuendos and chasing after phantom plots in APC rather than concentrate on mending its broken and acrimonious house.
APC maintained that its National Working Committee (NWC) stood united under Adamu’s leadership as National Chairman with the singular commitment to winning the next general election.
