The claim by a former governor of Yobe State that the All Progressives Congress (APC) may lose elections in 2019 “even with massive rigging” was a joke taken too far, a member of the House of Representatives, Goni Bukar Lawan, has said.
Bukar Abba, who represents Yobe East in the Senate on the APC platform, had on Saturday lampooned his party, predicting that it may lose the entire North East zone next year. He, however said yesterday that he was quoted out of context.
But Rep. Lawan said Bukar neither spoke the minds of Yobe nor the North East people, adding that nothing will stop the APC from winning the North East from the presidency to the state assembly.
He said as an elder statesman, the senator should either talk wisely in public or “keep quiet”.
“I feel bad that I am constrained to react to the disturbing comments of one of the leaders in Yobe State, His Excellency, Senator Bukar Abba Ibrahim. He is probably still unhappy with the outcome of the APC primaries because he lost the APC senatorial ticket to the outgoing governor, Ibrahim Gaidam.
“I also didn’t get ticket like the senator but we all must make sacrifices for the APC. After all, the party has given us chances to be at the National Assembly since 2007.
“Senator Bukar’s wife who is a serving minister is the only member of the Federal Executive Council that succeeded in getting the APC’s ticket to contest election in 2019. All other ministers failed in their various ambitions. I think the senator is one of the major beneficiaries of the APC.
“We must know that other people also need opportunities to serve our people. Senator Bukar saying that APC will lose in Yobe and the North East is a joke. Any grassroots politician who is very conversant with political feelers in Yobe and neighbouring Borno State can tell anyone that come 2019, the APC is coasting the overwhelming victory in these two states and Insha Allah, the whole of North East,” he said.
He said the people of the North East are fully with President Muhammadu Buhari and that no one could doubt that, noting that Yobe and Borno are amongst the greatest beneficiaries of the APC as the fight against Boko Haram has been yielding fruitful results.
“We are fully with our governors of Borno and Yobe, and we are fully behind our governorship candidates, Mai Mala for Yobe and Professor Babagana Umara Zulum for Borno. We are behind all our national and state assembly candidates, and by the grace of God, the APC will record resounding victory in the North East,” he said.
