TheCable

Aminu Tambuwal, governor of Sokoto, says the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will win the 2023 presidential election “convincingly” if he gets the party’s ticket.

Tambuwal, a presidential hopeful on the platform of the PDP, said this on Friday while addressing members of the PDP national working committee (NWC) at the party’s headquarters in Abuja.

The Sokoto governor said he is the “bridge” between the old and young, adding that he possesses the qualities to “reconnect” the country.

“This country is looking for a unifier and I believe that with my experience, I check that box,” he said.

“I believe that if you look at my experience and my past in the national assembly, where I have spent 12 unbroken years — from being a member of the house of representatives to deputy chief whip to minority leader and the speaker of the house — I built friendship network of friends across the length and breadth of this country. And I do, quite honestly, believe that I understand the dynamics of Nigeria.

“I understand this country very well and I have a fair knowledge of its people and their concerns. I believe that I can be that unifier that this country can accept as the candidate of our party, and I can be used by the party to win the elections convincingly.

“I believe that if the PDP should, at the end of the day, give me the ticket of the party by his grace, we will win the elections convincingly, because I am that bridge that Nigerians need — a bridge between the old and the young, and the bridge that will now continue to reconnect every part of this country. I believe I have all of those qualities.”

Tambuwal also asked the party to create a level-playing field for all presidential hopefuls by conducting a fair, transparent and credible primary.

He said if elected president, he will work with the PDP NWC to ensure that the party’s campaign manifesto is implemented.

“I will make sure that we consult the party on policies and issues because we know that the NWC we have is rich enough to advise our party,” he said.

“Nobody can take it away from you, Mr. Chairman, and members of this working committee, that you have all it takes to serve as a guide and guidance to any government in this country, be that government at the federal or the state level.

“You have a lot of knowledgeable people from the national working committee and leadership of our party that we must benefit from their experience in running the administration.

“So, we will be in constant touch and consultation with the national working committee of our party so that we can proceed with the implementation of the party’s programme that we must have compiled,  because it’s not about the aspirant’s manifesto.”

In his remarks, Iyorchia Ayu, national chairman of the PDP, said all presidential hopefuls in the party are qualified for the position they seek.

He said the PDP will conduct a credible presidential primary to the satisfaction of members.

“We, as a national working committee, despite the pressure on most of us, are working around the clock to make sure that we provide a strong platform, provide not just a level-playing field, but transparently follow the tradition of the Peoples Democratic Party,” he said.

“We’ve never had a controversial convention and we’re trying our best to follow the footsteps of the previous administration.

“So, rest assured that come 28th of this month, we shall all gather in a place in Nigeria and give you the necessary atmosphere to present yourself to the party’s delegates and your votes.

“The votes will be counted very openly as we always do, and at the end of the day, if it’s the will of God and the delegates that it is you that emerges, we will also be sure that the party will be in very safe hands.”

See photos of Tambuwal’s meeting with the PDP NWC below.