By: Taiwo Amodu – Abuja
The national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Abdullahi Adamu has explained why the party suffered setbacks in some of its strongholds in last Saturday’s presidential and national assembly elections.
In Nasarawa State, incidentally the home state of the party’s national chairman, the party lost all the senatorial seats while it also lost the state to Labour Party in the presidential election. It equally came second to LP in polls recorded in Lagos State, the home of its presidential candidate and President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The same setback was also recorded in Kano, Kaduna and Katsina considered to be the party’s stronghold states.
Addressing journalists in Abuja on Thursday, the APC national chairman denied allegations of half-hearted commitment and indifference towards the campaigns of Tinubu by the National Working Committee.
He said:” It’s the nature of things: you win some, you lose some and the fact that we lost some major states, like Lagos, Kano, Katsina and even Nasarawa, Kaduna, you cannot be talking about democracy about evenness of representation at the same time saying you must win everything.
“The fact that we lost these places and we didn’t shed tears we did not cry foul, make us the real political party in this country.
“What moral justification is there for a party that won Lagos and felt it was a good game? And loses place like Ekiti, and they said the game is a bad one, it doesn’t make sense.
“With the strategic position of Lagos, strategic in terms of location, population in terms of economy in terms of political history and prestige, we lost and we didn’t run the street crying but what’s important is we got what we wanted, we got the presidency.
“They are gnashing their teeth, you can all see, it shows the level of immaturity, selfishness and lack of sense of judgment.
“And to put it in common parlance, we are not sportsmen nor are they, lovable women.
“Those who are grateful to the blessings of God, God promises to multiply their fortunes.
“So we are grateful to Almighty God we’re no crying, we’re not complaining. And I can assure you that the coming elections, we will win again.”
The APC national chairman said lessons had been learnt and the party would regain lost grounds during the governorship election holding March 11.
“But the fact that I must say it that what happened in the election was an eye-opener, we can’t deny that fact.
“We have learned some basic lessons on what has happened, but we appreciate the fact that we cannot win some states of the Federation that ordinarily, we would have wished we won them.
“But the fact that we lost them, or God gave us the ones that He blessed to deliver Mr President to the APC we’re more than grateful to Almighty God.
“We will do what we need to do and will not hesitate to do what we must do to ensure success in the governorship and house of assembly elections.
“People are bound to interpret whatever happens in their own ways, their own understanding and the kind of state of mind they have their upbringing, we cannot deny them that.
“So it is not for the purposes of this interview, to start passing judgments as to who did what and who didn’t do, the important thing is that we won.”
He commended all stakeholders in the party whom he noted worked to ensure the party victory and the electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission for delivering on the arduous assignment in spite of provocations.
“We have all run the good race. The victory has gone to one man, but the race was not run by him alone. He won because we stood by him. He won because we, as members of the party were committed to his victory and the victory of our party at all levels in the general elections. He won because the electorate trust him and believe he has the capacity to heal the nation’s wounds and set it along the path of unity and prosperity. The people have trusted their weal and welfare to the able hands of the president-elect and the vice-president-elect.
“We have been through a gruelling experience in the hands of the doomsayers. We have pulled through in one piece and demonstrated once more that fortified by our patriotism and our duty to our nation, we will always give the lie to the doomsayers.
“The victory does not belong to the president-elect and his political party alone. It also belongs to that poor woman who, against all odds and the current financial problems, still sacrificed her time and her little financial resource to go to her polling unit to cast her vote because she wants to have a say in who governs her and her country.
“The victory belongs to the security agencies who put their lives on the line and ensured the peaceful conduct of the election at all levels. It belongs to all Nigerians who collectively showed a determination to birth a new national leadership. It belongs especially to the chairman and the members of INEC. They laboured under a dark cloud of sabotage. INEC offices were torched in several states; its personnel were similarly attacked but Professor Mahmood Yakubu, the man who has done more than anyone else in that difficult office refused to be intimidated and be deflected from doing his duty to his country and his compatriots. Committed as he and the members of the commission were to free, fair, transparent, and credible elections, they found sustenance in the courage to serve the nation and its people and help the people institute a government of their choice. Our nation must remain grateful to them.”
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