By Jude Opara
Former vice president and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar has been asked to brace up for an impending defeat in his home state of Adamawa as well as the other states in the North East region.
Deputy National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ali Bukar Dalori, who made the claim President Bola Tinubu has all what it takes to defeat Atiku and his party in the January 16 presidential election.
Dalori who spoke on Wednesday at the graduation ceremony of women trained under the Tinubu-Shettima Village-to-Village campaign in Abuja said his assessment was based on his experience as a grassroots politician who understands the dynamics of North-East politics.
He said Atiku can not pose a serious challenge to Tinubu’s re-election bid in the region, because of the ongoing federal infrastructure projects and the political influence of Vice President Kashim Shettima.
According to him, despite the fact that Atiku hails from Adamawa state, he did not consider the former vice president as an obstacle.
“I don’t think that Atiku can disrupt the North-East. Why? Even Adamawa, his hometown, he will not win, even at his polling unit. I will assure you of that,” he said.
The Deputy National Chairman added that the APC was confident of improving its electoral fortune across the region, because the party had projects and political structures it could rely on to mobilise voters and win the election.
He insisted that the political contest should not be assessed just on the basis of Atiku’s origin or his previous electoral performance, but also on the policies, projects and political alliances that could influence voters’ decisions in the election.
Dalori cited work on the Gombe-Bauchi and Bauchi-Maiduguri roads, as well as the Maiduguri-Gamboru Ngala corridor linking Nigeria with Chad, saying the projects were important to communities whose economic activities depended on road connectivity.
The APC chieftain also referred to work on sections of the Maiduguri-Biu road that were previously abandoned, saying that the continuation of such projects could strengthen the ruling party’s appeal to voters in the area.
Dalori further argued that the APC’s prospects in the North-East also rest on the position of vice president, Kashim Shettima whom he noted has age-long political connections in the region.
“Kashim Shettima is from Borno, from the North-East. He is our son. Because of that, we can do everything to ensure that Tinubu comes back for a second term,” he said.
Dalori’s remarks come against the background of the 2023 presidential election, when Atiku secured substantial support across the North-East, establishing the region as an important electoral battleground ahead of the next general election.
The former vice president, who was the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in 2023, won Adamawa state, as well as other states in the region; which the APC candidate, Tinubu, won the presidency despite losing several northern states to the opposition.
However, Dalori expressed confidence that the APC could challenge the opposition’s previous gains by capitalising on its federal presence, infrastructure projects and grassroots mobilisation.
Meanwhile, National Coordinator of the Tinubu-Shettima Village-to-Village campaign, Ambassador Farida Musa Jauro, declared her support for Tinubu’s re-election, and pledged to mobilise voters across the 19 states of northern Nigeria.
Jauro described Tinubu as a leader whose policies and political career had convinced her of his capacity to lead the country, adding that she believed he should be allowed to complete a second term, so as to conclude some of his laudable projects.
In her remarks, Engr. Aishata Aliyu Umar, Director of Planning for the Tinubu&Shettima Village to Village, said 1,000 women had benefited from the training sponsored by the National Coordinator, Jauro, who holds the traditional title of Dawisun Mubi.
Umar said the programme was designed to equip women with practical skills, improve their prospects for economic independence and strengthen their capacity to support their families.
Similarly, the Director of the Village-to-Village initiative, Alhaji Salisbury Sheriff urged the graduates to use their training to improve their livelihoods and contribute to the growth of their communities.
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