National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, has declared that President Muhammadu Buhari remains the party’s best bet for the 2019 presidential election.

Odigie-Oyegun, who gave the verdict, yesterday, in an exclusive interview with New Telegraph, allayed the fear that the president will not seek re-election.
He said the Buhari he saw during a recent meeting between the president and some leaders of the party in London informed his conviction.

He therefore described the boast by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to return to power as a dream, stating that APC is on ground and will retain power in the next general elections.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan had in his address at the PDP national convention on Saturday in Abuja, said the party’s achievements while in power would rekindle the confidence of the electorate to vote it back to power in the 2019 general elections.

“The party is indeed back to reclaim its prime position as the party to lead Nigeria to greatness. As a human institution, we cannot claim to be perfect and as a political party, our accomplishments up to 2015 are clear for every Nigerian to see,” Jonathan had said.

But Odigie-Oyegun mocked the former president and the PDP, describing them as dreamers.
He said: “Whether the president seeks re-election or not, that is a decision only he (the president) can make. And when he makes it, in the unlikely event that he makes that decision, he is not just going to walk away. If Jonathan, a defeated president who wants to rule this country, can be talking about coming back or his party coming back, what of a very charismatic president, who even without money had 12 million votes behind him. So, the comparison is odious.

“APC will still retain power, but we pray that he (Buhari) contests because he is our best card right now. Everything is in the hands of God, but if for any reason he decides not to contest, but I don’t foresee that, he is still President Buhari and he will still work for the party and we will have a candidate that he still blesses. But, that is an unlikely event because the Buhari I saw is building up strength and energy. Let us keep decisions into the hands of God.”

Oyegun had earlier told New Telegraph that he would do everything possible, including “fasting and prayer,” to ensure that Buhari re-contests in 2019.
He said: “I will pray, fast to God that Buhari agrees to contest in 2019. If he contests, Nigeria will be better for it. My prayer is for us to get Buhari to re-contest in 2019. We don’t know his mind yet, but I will do anything in my power to ensure that he re-contests in 2019. Why? There is no other Buhari in this country. Buhari is the only man who can command 12 million votes even without any major campaign.”

Wondering where PDP derived its bravado from, he insisted that Nigerians are not ready to hand over power to a party that decimated the country.
He further said of the former ruling party’s boast: “They have a right to dream because you don’t have to pay anything to dream.

We are on the ground, we are working and the people are aware of the atrocities they have inflicted on this nation. It is clear that there is no going back to PDP, but if they want to dream and bask in false hope, we cannot deny them.


“Jonathan lost an election, how does he think he is coming back? We haven’t even got to the bottom of the injury and damage they inflicted on this nation. If we could defeat him as a sitting president, what of now that he is in opposition and not just opposition, but a fractured, guilty and condemned opposition, which brought this country to its knee. I don’t know where they got their bravado from?”
When reminded that the former ruling party is talking tough and saying that it is ready to take over power in 2019, the APC national chairman said: “That is not the point. The point is whether the people of this country are ready to hand over power to a party that decimated the country.


“Nigerians are no idiots, they may be suffering economic hardship now, but they are not idiots. They know what happened to this country. Of course, they wished their condition today was better, but they are not going to hand over power to those who were responsible for decimating the country.

“Stories are coming out every day and these are facts. There is nothing giving them confidence. It is just bravado. And bravado doesn’t depend on strength; it means making the world to think that you have strength. Look at Korea and United States; the United States can wipe Korea out of the face of the earth, but when the Korea leader speaks, he gives the impression that they can wipe US out of the face of the earth. These things happen every day.

“So, we are not losing any sleep over PDP at all because they are yet to find their feet. I even pray they find their feet because we need them to keep us on our toes. We don’t want a country without a reasoning opposition, but they shouldn’t get their ambitions too high.”

The APC national chairman also expressed optimism that nothing will make Nigerians to dump APC for PDP in 2019.
According to him, the ruling party has made tremendous progress in rebuilding the damage done to Nigeria in 16 years by PDP in its just about two years in power.
His words: “It took PDP 16 years to damage this country. Don’t forget that it is easier to damage than to construct. So, the damage PDP did in this country for 16 years, we have had only two years to rebuild and things are beginning to look up.

“By the end of this year, we will be self-sufficient in most of our agricultural needs, by next year, we will be a net exporter of rice. These and more are the building blocks of a nation that is prepared for greatness and prosperity. The people are seeing this and recognising it. We know things are hard, but thank God that people are seeing through. They realise that things are hard and we are doing the best we can.”
On alleged plot by some chieftains of APC to defect to PDP ahead of the 2019 elections, he said: “I hope those we expect, will be the ones to go to PDP because there are some who are more of a cancer to us than anything. When they go, depending on who they are, we will be consoled.

“This is not the first time they have gone and come, we are watching. To take fewer people away may affect the party, that is normal, but we are still receiving people into the party on a daily basis.”

https://newtelegraphonline.com/2017/08/2019-buhari-apcs-best-bet-oyegun/

obviously...

What is this man smoking

“Nigerians are no idiots, they may be suffering economic hardship now, but they are not idiots. They know what happened to this country. Of course, they wished their condition today was better, but they are not going to hand over power to those who were responsible for decimating the country.

EOD

Sai Baba.

is time for Oyegun to step down

Oyegun has found his voice after Buhari video surfaced??

If APC retains power in 2019, it is because they have mastered the art of rigging and not because Buhari deserves it. Blatant lies and distortion of reality cannot wipe clean buhari ineptitude and savage governing policies. His ministers too are not helpful

The so called honesty of Buhari is very dubious. His famed integrity is mere whitewashing propaganda. His own words, actions and inactions puts him at par with any corrupt and ineffective administration

Buhari clearly said he will stop foreign medicals for elected officers... 3 months now he is in London

Buhari did not declare his wealth after he won

Buhari said Abacha did not steal and was not corrupt

Buhari kinsmen which means cousins, nephews and in laws control all the major financial decisions in Nigeria

Buratai and his boys have been fingered in many corruption scandals but they are leading our military arm

Buhari kinsmen stole food donated by Saudi Arabia for IDPs but no one has been punished

CBN was caught selling dollars to the cabal at ridiculous rates when businesses were shutting down due to forex but no one was punished.

Silent recruitment in all top tier positions of Buhari kinsmen and cohorts

Lopsided appointment of his people into government positions and jobs

Media has been silenced with threats and bribes. Even boko haram atrocities are no longer reported

Release of boko haram suspects is a daily reality

Corruption in INEC. All the elections conducted under Buhari has showed gross rigging by INEC in collusion with the police for APC.


Buhari is spending millions of naira sending his children to school abroad. Gej daughters schooled in UNIPORT Nigeria.

Buhari children are marrying oil block private jet billionaires yet GEJ daughter is a commoner, struggling like the rest of us... a redeem church usher living in calabar with her husband

The same president condemned Yar adua during his ill health yet they are after protesters who condemn his hold on power even when not fit

Thousands have been killed by the army... shites and ipob yet they still want us to gej did worse?
Every industry is worse off now than under gej

Millions of jobs lost due to useless forex restrictions. These restrictions have been relaxed under Osibanjo grin meanwhile they ensured the cabal got enough for dollars up north

Nigerians are wiser now, devoid of propaganda. Just like reno pointed out in his write-up earlier without insults but just facts countering okechukwu of Von..

Oyegun could do better providing facts and not stories and insults...

In all his write-up... nothing to take home, not even a tangible completed project to sooth the pain of the masses whom he claimes are passing through the worst phase of their time..

Nigeria has never been this divided. Well, Nigeria has always been divided but the glue regions always held it through migration and development outside their homes. But it seems all have gone awry and the glue is gone.

https://www.nairaland.com/3986954/many-killed-boko-haram-attacks


https://www.nairaland.com/3985597/middle-belt-youths-give-herdsmen

https://www.nairaland.com/3986827/ASUU-declares-indefinite-strike-see

https://www.nairaland.com/3985892/how-buharis-absence-affects-nollywood


https://www.nairaland.com/3985113/183-federal-ministries-agencies-massive

https://www.nairaland.com/3985705/boko-haram-attacks-wanori-amarwa


https://www.nairaland.com/3985905/ipob-bakassi-zone-donates-royal

https://www.nairaland.com/3985744/majority-university-ibadan-lecturers-voted

https://www.nairaland.com/3985597/middle-belt-youths-give-herdsmen

https://www.nairaland.com/3986895/eye-eye-leave-nigeria-blind

These are Buhari legacy... A snapshot of the burning issues that are choking the country

Anyone who believes Buhari deserves a second term with all this is obviously not planning to be alive or in Nigeria beyond 2019.

Before now we heard stories of how he single handedly built all the refineries and fought corruption to a standstill while true history records that Nigeria went into recession because of him. We are in another recession because of him again

Oyegun has gone mad again

.

Madnesssss.