Abdullahi Ganduje, the National Chair of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has expressed strong confidence that the party will secure victories in the upcoming governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states.
Ganduje made this statement during a visit by the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Kano correspondents’ chapel.
Ganduje revealed that the APC has established a “political machinery” aimed at ensuring a landslide victory for the party’s candidate in Edo, a state currently governed by the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
“I believe our campaign is in high spirit, we are getting ready for that election and we believe we will be able to recover our state,” Ganduje said. He emphasized the strategic importance of reclaiming Edo, stating, “If we win Edo, we will be getting an additional state for the party. It will be 21 states out of 36. This is because it was an APC state but because of internal bubbles, we lost it to PDP but we are sure we will recover that state.”
Regarding Ondo State, where the APC is already in power, Ganduje noted that the party has successfully addressed lingering issues following the death of the former governor.
“For Ondo state, it’s already an APC state and when the former governor died, he left a number of problems, but we were able to resolve those issues. We conducted primaries, we succeeded in getting the person that they wanted,” he said.
Ganduje also discussed the party’s plans for the 2024 governorship election in Anambra State, which has been governed by the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) for many years. He highlighted the APC’s efforts to expand its influence in the southeast geopolitical zone, where the party currently controls Ebonyi and Imo states.
“Next year, there will be Anambra, which has been a state governed by APGA for many years, but we have introduced a new scheme,” Ganduje stated.
He pointed out the perceived marginalization in the southeast, saying, “The north, south-east political zones are all claiming that they have been marginalised. The south-east geopolitical zone is saying the same thing. But what we are telling them is that the marginalisation has been created by them. How can you have five states ruled by four political parties? What will be your political bargain?”
Ganduje concluded with a bold declaration of the APC’s ambition in the southeast: “We want to start with Anambra. Already, we have Ebonyi and Imo. Now we are encroaching into that zone to ensure that we capture most of the states. And if we get what we want, we capture all the states.”
The APC’s plans for these critical elections highlight the party’s ongoing strategy to consolidate its power across Nigeria.