The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Abdullahi Adamu, says his party would never underrate the Labour Party and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the 2023 elections.
Adamu, who stated this on Sunday, in an interview on television, described the LP presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and the PDP National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, as experienced and well-grounded politicians with genuine intentions to serve the country.
The former Nasarawa State governor stressed that his experience in politics has taught him never to underestimate the powers of his rivals and the threats they posed.
Adamu declared that APC was more organized and stood a better chance of winning next year’s elections.
He said: “Honestly I have never ever underestimated the capacity of my opponents, I will not do so now. This is not the first time I will be party chairman, I have been secretary of the party and chairman at the state level. I have faced elections, I have won some and lost some. I have no reason whatsoever to doubt my opponent.
“The gentleman who is chairman of PDP is a friend of mine, we have known even before we got these positions.
“Peter Obi. I knew him when he was governor of Anambra state, I visited him. These are people who mean well as far as I’m concerned. From their outbursts, they mean well. They are well grounded, I don’t have doubts about that.
“So I have no reason whatsoever to underestimate their ability to lead their people to victory.”
“I am telling you that we are better organized. We have a higher number of followers. We have got the register of the party members. You can verify it.”
Also, Adamu said the recent lawsuit of the PDP calling for the disqualification of its presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, and his counterpart in Labour Party over controversy trailing the use of placeholders cannot be justified.
While Tinubu nominated Masari as a surrogate running mate to beat the June 17 INEC deadline, Obi also elected his campaign manager, Okupe as a placeholder.
In the originating summons with suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1016/2022, the PDP is seeking an order barring the Independent National Electoral Commission from replacing the running mates of Tinubu and Obi.
In his reaction, Adamu said “The laws of this land are absolutely clear. No matter how mischievous anyone of us wants to be, there is the law. As far as the APC is concerned, we had a convention where a candidate was chosen for an election.
“Within the legal space available to us and to give us room to assess the candidates that will be desirous for our running mate or vice presidential candidate, we had to submit a name that will hold the position for our nomination. The laws of INEC do allow for this. If it doesn’t, we won’t contemplate.
“It is within the confine and dictates of our electoral laws in this country. It is not something to lose sleep over. We now have a running mate that we have submitted to the INEC. Simple! If you say the PDP has gone to court, let the court decides on the case. It is subjudice anyway.
“For your information, I am a lawyer by my calling. Once a case is in court, it is subjudice. I don’t want to comment on it and I won’t do it beyond what I have just told you now.”
