A member of the House of Representatives, Inuwa Mohammed Bassi, representing Mayo-Belwa, Jada, Ganye, and Toungo Federal Constituency in Adamawa State, has declared that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stands a real chance of reclaiming power in 2027 only if it fields a southern presidential candidate.
Speaking during an interview with Arewa Punch in Yola on Friday, Bassi noted that the zoning arrangement within the party does not favour the North presenting a candidate again so soon after the 2023 elections.
“The only thing that can give PDP victory in 2027 is to bring out a presidential candidate from the zone of the ruling party, like the All Progressives Congress has zoned its presidential candidate,” he stated.
Bassi added that such a move would help dismantle entrenched divides around ethnicity, religion, and regionalism, giving the PDP a broader national appeal.
Naija News reports that he further stated, “This will break the barriers of ethnicity, religion and regional politics, and PDP will use its dominance in the North and add to the southern votes to win the presidential election.”
The lawmaker observed that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the PDP’s 2023 flagbearer, has not been able to galvanise the level of support needed to power another run.
“Atiku’s ambition is suffering the expected massive support and patronage needed to actualise it,” Bassi remarked.
Bassi also played down the recent wave of defections by some PDP chieftains to the All Progressives Congress (APC), describing the moves as driven by opportunism, not principle.
“If they are politically powerful, why did PDP not win in 2023? In politics, people decamp to seek positions and attract patronage from their new party. Not that they have anything new to add,” he said.
He predicted that by 2026, many individuals currently in the APC would begin seeking to return to the PDP.
“In 2026, millions of party faithful from the APC and other political parties will be struggling to join PDP,” he added.
Taking a swipe at the APC-led federal government, Bassi questioned the timing and relevance of recent road construction flag-offs by the Minister of Works.
“It was just a week ago that the Minister of Works was going from one state to another flagging off construction of super highways. The question is, Nigerians are hungry. So, are the super highways for the dead or the living?” he asked.
Bassi praised Governor Ahmadu Fintiri for what he described as solidifying PDP’s control in Adamawa State, asserting that there is no space for any other political party in the state.
“Fintiri’s achievements have planted our party in the depth of our people’s hearts. There is no room for those who are in APC in the daytime and the PDP at night. In Adamawa State, there is no breathing space for any other party,” he stated.
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