Tinubu ‘Built A Bridge’ By Winning APC Presidential Ticket, Says VON DG, Okechukwu

The Director-General of Voice of Nigeria, Osita Okechukwu, has said the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, built a bridge of unity with his emergence as the Presidential Candidate of the party.

He also said Tinubu has 60% chance of winning the 2023 presidential election.

Okechukwu was speaking on Sunday in Abuja while briefing newsmen on sundry political issues and the shape of the contest so far.

He lauded Tinubu for having a wide connection and for searching for a suitable running mate.

Tinubu had failed to produce a substantive presidential running mate while electing to go for a place holder until mid-July, few weeks away.

The APC chieftain said the party is lucky to be searching “from River Benue up to the last point in Jibia, Dutse, Lake Chad boundary. So, if you are the one searching in a wide vast area where we have over 100 people with about 44 million voters which might got up to 50 million you have a wide range of area to search.

“Luckily for us, alot of people will not know that even in Kebbi, Sokoto there are Christians. Even in Borno, there are Christians. He has a wide range of areas to look for Christians.

“So Asiwaju has 60% of winning this election. We are in charge of 22 states of the federation. We have the majority in National and State Houses of Assembly – they are not going to betray him. Even us, in the South/east that has never been our stronghold, on the day of election we are going there to protect our mandate.

“Otherwise if I don’t defend it, did I get appointment before APC won presidential election. Whatever is my preference, if I want my office to remain, it means I must support Asiwaju. It’s applicable to those who are board members whether you are coming from Yenogoa or Dutse. So that is the power of incumbency.”

When asked if he was not worried by the increasing popularity of Peter Obi of the Labour Party, he explained that the movement is not worrisome.

On the threat of New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP and the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, he said, “I know the Kwankwaso ailment in NNPP, they have the same ailment with PDP. They don’t believe in rotation convention.”

Okechukwu explained that, “When Tafawa-Balewa was Prime Minister, the president or governor general was Nnamdi Azikiwe from South. When Gowon was became Head of State, Obafemi Awolowo was his deputy, the same thing with Murtala and Obasanjo. Obasanjo/Shehu Yar-Adua; Shagari/Ekwueme down the line. It’s not as if rotation is a new thing.

“So, for the PDP because of Atiku muscle, they jettison the rotation of presidency which was an injury to himself. Some of us in the south will forbid him because he touched on the ligament that is holding the country.

“That is why we thank the northern governors because they recognised the import of that ligament. You may not take it serious but if you know the sense of belonging it brings to north and south you can’t just dismiss it. So APC obeyed it.

“Kwankwaso I know they were afraid of us. I don’t want to name names. This rotation may not have its legal teeth but rotation is a convention. It has its own moral angle. That’s why UK does not have a written consttution they live on conventions.

“Atiku will not know what he did to himself until the day the votes come. So is also the way Kwankwaso is playing with us. The areas he will capture are in the north. I know he is not going to give up and since he doesn’t obey the convention, he will not nominate somebody to go with Peter. And if Peter does not go strong north, as when we were in CPC and ANPP in 2003, that we had 12 million votes yet we didn’t win south, nobody can win in Nigeria if you can’t have northern support.

“No northerner can win without southern stronghold. Atiku has lost in the southern stronghold. That’s why I’m giving Tinubu about 60% chances.

“The day Okowa returned home, his godfather James Ibori was not there and they were in Delta. So, where are you going to fetch that water? Do you tell the south that you are their friend, that you are more liberal when in the PDP, the PDP constitution you breached it yourself because you have more dollars in hand, let’s call it muscle. So that’s our chances as APC.”

Speaking further on Tinubu, he said, “I am happy that he was able to win. He built a bridge. He went to the northern states, 12 governors, whatever magic he used to convince them has brought reprieve because if all the candidates of the major parties were northerners, Nigerians would have been grumbling.

“The grumbling in the south would not have been too palatable. They asked me the other day, I said I am supporting Tinubu strongly.

“Whether he was my preference, remember the other time I asked him to go the South-east and pick somebody and they replied me that the kingmaker wants to be king. So at the end of the day, as a party man, he won free and fair, what do I do? It’s to support him.

“Unless I decided to leave APC and I have not decided. There are thousands like me who said, yes in this contest, this man won if he were not my preference in the past, today he is my preference. My preference can not be those who don’t want the country to be more united.”