Taofeek Lawal
The Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Dumebi Kachikwu has appealed to the presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Abubakar Atiku and his Labour Party counterpart, Peter Obi to reach an agreement on how to defeat the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) going into Saturday’s presidential election. He said he has accepted the sad reality that he and his running mate, Ahmed Buhari, cannot win the election owing to sellout by some elements in ADC.
Kachikwu in a press statement titled, ‘My Closing Argument’ added that except the North ‘miraculously’ comes together in the next 24 hours to back the PDP and Atiku, the APC may win the election. He added that while the course of the PDP is not been helped because it is now divided into three parts, namely; the PDP, Labour Party and G5, the APC supporters he said are committed to ensuring that their candidate, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, wins the presidential election.
He said it is high time Nigerians and youths in particular reject the proponents of tribe and religion in polarising them and making them poor, bitter, frustrated and subject to all forms of manipulation and abuse by desperate politicians.
“Outside of the Nigerian Civil War, the last eight years under the APC Government has been the toughest period ever for Nigerians since Independence. As President Buhari prepares to hand over, he is unleashing more pain and misery on Nigerians with the misguided recolouring of the Naira.
“Today, the PDP, which is the main opposition party has been successfully divided into three; PDP, Labour Party and G5. APC supporters across the country remain intact and are fully committed to ensuring their candidate wins the presidential elections.
“As we now consider the three flawed candidates before us, we must also remember that we are also flawed. We must look beyond their flaws to their capabilities. We must consider their relationships and associations. We must look at those they are likely to work with and those with them now.
“Beyond this, we must accept the reality that except Northern Nigeria miraculously comes together in the next 24hrs to throw their support for the PDP candidate, the race looks likely to favour the APC candidate.
“Except the PDP and Labour can reach an agreement in the next 24 hours on how to collaborate to win the elections, any vote for Peter Obi is a vote for Bola Tinubu. PDP and Labour need each other. It is that simple. As true democrats, the leadership of both PDP and Labour must find a way to work with the other smaller parties towards building a formidable coalition that ensures the contest is even. Any attempt to go this alone guarantees another four years for APC,” Kachikwu said.
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