TheCable

Yahaya Bello, governor of Kogi state, says for President Muhammadu Buhari to be reelected in 2019, the All Progressives Congress (APC) must be ready to market his accomplishments.

Bello said this at a dinner hosted by the president for youth political appointees and supporters of his administration at the presidential villa, Abuja.

He said failure to present the achievements of the current administration effectively may make it difficult to mobilise the votes needed for Buhari’s reelection.

“If those of us in APC do not sell this winning product very well — economic recovery will be mistaken for slow-down due to poor management of the nation’s economy,” he said.

“Measures to protect local industries and stimulate domestic production will be mistaken for deliberate impoverishment of the populace.

“Trial of politically exposed offenders using long existent laws which previous leaders were not willing to deploy against cronies and accomplices will be mistaken for extrajudicial measures and disdain for the rule of law.

“If we fail to take charge of the narrative and persuade people till they see the true intents of this administration’s policies, we will have a much harder job mobilising the votes we need to get Mr President re-elected.

“If we do not put Mr President’s achievements before our people till they can recite it themselves, they may agree with the shameless PDP that the heartless corruption which it is offering again is somehow better than the alleged incompetence of the APC which has accomplished every good thing I listed above.

“In summary, all may be lost if we do not get the Nigerian people to see why they must allow Mr President continue his great work as they go to the polls in 2019.”

The governor noted that the party has a huge task before it in 2019, saying the major opposition party will not be a pushover.

He said: “As members of the APC, we will not deny that our party has a huge task before us in the 2019 general elections.

“The elections will not be a walkover, the PDP will not be a pushover and we must take nothing and no one for granted.

“The APC is promising to continue re-writing the age-long negatives which have plagued our nation to positives.

“This is the message we must all take to every nook and cranny of this nation, and from door to door.”