The former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nuhu Ribadu, has warned the All Progressives Congress (APC) against taking the opposition parties and their candidates for granted ahead of the 2023 presidential election.
Atiku Abubakar is the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PD), Peter Obi is the flag bearer of the Labour Party (LP), while Rabiu Kwankwaso is the candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNP).
Speaking at the inauguration of the Directorate of Stakeholder Relations of the APC Presidential Campaign Council on Thursday, Ribadu said the party’s presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, is more competent and capable than other presidential candidates.
Ribadu asserted that Tinubu is the most saleable flag bearer among the leading candidates, adding that the he would sweep the presidential election with a landslide margin in the forthcoming general elections.
He said, “We should not under-rate our opponents, we should work assiduously to make the margin of winning too wide that the victory will be massive and sweet.
“Luckily for us, our job is cut out for us. We have the most saleable product in the market today. There is no one candidate out there that is better than our own.
“Asiwaju Tinubu is an accomplished human being and a thoroughbred administrator and maverick politician, he has something to show from his glowing antecedents.
“He will not learn on the job, he also has a wide network of friends and associates everywhere in Nigeria, which makes our job of outreach very much easier. ”He said the inauguration of the directorate was a watershed moment in the match by the APC and its PCC to ensure that Tinubu emerges winner of the forthcoming presidential election.
According to Ribadu, the inauguration of the leadership and members of the directorate signposts the formal engagement to begin campaigns fully.
“This is however not the beginning of the work, some of us have burnt many midnight candles for a long time, even before the formal Constitution of the Directorate, working to build bridges between critical stakeholders,” he said.
On his part, founding National Chairman of the APC, Chief Bisi Akande, who inaugurated the directorate, expressed satisfaction with the performance of the APC-led administration since May 29, 2015.