By Saminu Ibrahim
Abuja
A former Secretary to the Sokoto State Government, Alhaji Muhammadu Maigari Dingyadi, yesterday gave an insight why President Muhammadu Buhari might seek re-election in the 2019 general elections.
The chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) said with the steady improvement of President Buhari’s health, “nothing will prevent him from re-contesting in 2019.”
“Well, from what we are seeing now, if his health continues to improve, like it is improving now, nothing will prevent him from re-contesting in 2019. From what we are seeing, his health is improving by the day, and if that is the case, I don’t see any reason he will not run again in 2019.”
Speaking exclusively to Blueprint, he claimed that “no party will reportedly dislodge the APC in 2019,” stressing that the party “will repeat the feat it achieved in 2015.”
The former governorship candidate of the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) in Sokoto state added that the APC would benefit from alleged fractionalisation of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“If the party agrees to field him as our candidate and I don’t see any problem, the party is solidly behind him. As long as he can do it, we will all support him.”
On the remark by former governor of Osun state, Chief Bisi Akande, that whoever was qualified could contest the APC ticket, he said: “Yes, the ticket is not automatic, that is how democracy should work, we are in democracy, everybody is free to come and vie for it, there is no automatic ticket for anybody, we are democrats. And the President, even if he is going to re contest, he will come and go through normal process of re contesting like any other candidate, but I will assure you that if he is re contesting he is going to make it.”
Continuing he said: “We are moving slowly, but the administration is perfect. People are saying the government is slow, yes slow, but perfect and strategic.
“I think the president is doing well, in all the areas that he has committed himself to addressing, particularly in the area of security, anti corruption and economy. I think he is on the right path, and if am to mark him, I will give him a good pass mark.
“The 2019 election will come and go, but it is for the APC, in spite of everything, the APC is going to perform creditably well and the elections are going to be won, like we won in 2015.
“I am very confident, because I know the party is going to be stable and I don’t think anything is going to work against our winning the elections across board. I am confident particularly, because, PDP is still battling with a lot of problems and is fractionalise. So, many of them will come back to the APC.”
