Former chairman of the defunct All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP) and BoT member of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Don Etiebet, yesterday expressed optimism that Nigerians will overwhelmingly vote to re-elect President Muhammadu Buhari by 2019.
In a statement he personally signed and made available to journalists, Etiebet said giving the president sole ticket for the ruling APC by 2019 is the most logical thing for the party to do.
He expressed optimism that Nigerians will return PMB “for the second term with far more votes than they did in 2015 and more votes for him than any presidential candidate in our national history”.
His words: “The President’s APC ticket for 2019 is natural, logical and cultural in a presidential system. An incumbent, most importantly and particularly a highly acclaimed performing president is the pride bearer of his party’s touch.
“I can tell you that PMB will be given the honor and respect by his own party, the APC by returning him unopposed at the convention”.
The APC BoT member hinged his resolve to rally support for the president’s reelection on the fact that the president has justified the confidence reposed on him and noted that his fulfilment of campaign promises was legendary.
He continued: “Let me tell you the reasons that merit his second term: his fulfilment of his campaign promises- insecurity, corruption and a rejuvenated economy. It is astonishing the achievements in these key areas in two years; it’s a feat for the administration, considering where the country was and was descending to as at 2015.
“Boko Haram has been significantly degraded, peace in Niger Delta has been stabilizing, Nigerians are now afraid to become corrupt and an economy at the verge of being collapsed is not only being brought back and stabilized but gaining growth momentum.
“So, therefore, being on this projectile for the next six years of this administration, we can all be assured that Nigeria will be the hub and centrepiece of Africa’s democratic, economic and strategic renaissance”.
Etiebet stressed that except for the successes recorded in the war against corruption and the dutiful implementation of the TSA policy, Nigeria would have been worst than South Sudan or Zimbabwe.
“The successes recorded in the agricultural sector whereby very soon we will be self-sufficient in rice production among others will sustain our agricultural aspirations in the medium and long-term.
“In the solid mineral sector, the groundwork for growth has been laid such that its contribution will push our economic growth in the second term above 6 to 7 per cent growth. Our GDP is growing positively with strength and Nigeria’s economic outlook has never been rosier.
“So, my brothers, with a growing GDP, a growing foreign reserves, dynamic economic activity and resurgence, incoming improved living wage, school feeding, poverty reduction programmes all over the country, a secured national security and prosperity, our party is blessed to happily at the next year’s national convention offer without
reservations the automatic ticket of our party to our performing president and his vice. We cannot lose this continuity and momentum.
“This is the position of everyone who love and care for our nation. This is the general opinion of majority of our party stakeholders at all levels. Since you are asking for the percentage of votes Mr. President can get in the 2019 election, it is my opinion that it will be above 78 per cent of total votes cast. The 2019 general elections will send a singular message to all Nigerians abiding faith in the unity of our country, as the president will receive massive votes unprecedented in our history from the six regions of our country.
“South-South votes will be 100 per cent at the Convention and unlike in 2015, our South-South votes will count in the 2019 general elections”.