2019: Only Coalition Can Defeat Buhari, Not PDP ― Okupe
A National leader of the Accord party, Dr Doyin Okupe, has said only a coalition of political forces can defeat President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019 and not the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) or any single political party.
Okupe, who stated this while addressing members of the Accord party in Ekiti State during the party’s state congress, said “with or without Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, PDP alone cannot defeat President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019.”
The former presidential spokesman noted, however, that the defection of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was a big blow to the party and a sign that the party might eventually crash in 2019.
Okupe said the APC “might pretend that Atiku’s defection is nothing but it’s definitely a big blow to the party,” saying with the current condition of PDP and APC, Accord presented Nigerians an option as “a credible third force that is blowing across South West Nigeria and around the country.”
He said: “If you check properly, former Vice President Atiku has just left the APC now and this is a big blow. The PDP is virtually leaving an intensive care unit to the mortuary.
APC is bleeding profusely. The two parties are in crisis, so no single party can defeat the President except a strong coalition.
“It took a coalition in 1998 to be able to send away the military. The coalition crystallized into PDP, which won election and held power for 16 years. It took coalition of forces again in 2015 to be able to wrest power from the PDP and that is what Nigerians should do in 2019.”
At the congress where Chief Samuel Abiola Ode-Oba emerged as the chairman of the party in the state, Okupe described Accord and its governorship aspirant, Chief Akogun Banji Ojo, as an opportunity to present Ekiti people “total infrastructure instead of just stomach infrastructure.”
Also at the event, about 500 members of the PDP, APC and Labour Party defected to the party and were received by the State chairman of the party, Chief Abiola Odeoba and National Chairman, Mr. Lawa Nalado.
Okupe said the PDP and APC had disappointed Nigerians, saying the best way the people of the state could wriggle out of the situation is to embrace Accord and its candidate.
He said “stomach infrastructure alone cannot transform Ekiti. What the Accord Party will do is total infrastructure in the areas of industrialization, health, education, youth employment and rural development.
“Ekiti had tasted both the APC and PDP and they knew they have disappointed badly, so time has come now to try another party, which is Accord in 2018.”
The governorship candidate of the party said the Accord party will participate in the December 23 local government election to tests it strength in Ekiti.
Ojo said: “The Accord Party is less than three months and we are already making waves. What we intend to do is to sponsor youths and women for the council elections, so that they can turn around to develop their own towns.
“We are really concerned about how to boost the economy by setting up industries like Rice Mill in Igbemo Ekiti and flour mill in Ilawe, which produces the largest banana in Nigeria.
“We are also encouraging women through empowerment programme and this we are starting by fielding a woman as my deputy governorship candidate in 2018 to demonstrate our love for them.”
Tribune.
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