2023: WHY THE TINUBU /LALONG FORMULA WILL WORK FOR APC

By AMINU IYAWA

Last week when I suggested to my Party, the APC, to field Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Governor Simon Lalong as its 2023 flag bearers, some supporters of former House of Representatives Speaker and member representing Bogoro/Dass/Tafawa Balewa, Federal Constituency of Bauchi State, and supporters of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Boss Gida Mustafa, were all charged up and said their bosses are best suited for the number two job.

I am really delighted by their response, because if anything, it shows an overwhelming support of the candidature of Tinubu, while the slot for his runningmate is being slugged out. Even that, I am optimistic that reason will prevail and Governor Lalong will be accepted as a better choice.

One thing clear is that the APC cannot compare the value of a sitting Governor in an all important presidential election to, with due respect, a legislative backbencher or a presidential political appointee. Besides, both Dogara and Mustafa, according to available records, are mostly strong in their immediate localities. In 2019, while the former Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives moved to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and worked against the APC, President Buhari still polled 798,428 votes to humble the PDP that got only 209,313 votes.

This only goes to prove the limited influence Dogara has on the electorate in Bauchi State. Long and short storey of it is that, even without Dogara as running mate to an APC candidate, the Party will definately clinch Bauchi State by a comfortable margin, irrespective of which candidate the PDP fills in. But it also technically indicates who the APC chooses to fly its presidential flag matters a lot in the equation.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), on the other hand, though a more seasoned politician than Dogara, having been in the game longer and even contested for the Adamawa Governoship election in 1991 on the platform of the defunct SDP and did relatively well, but cannot be compared to the political strength of the incumbent Plateau State chief executive.

Governor Lalong is therefore a great asset and will definitely deliver his State for the umpteen time. Remember that in 2015, Plateau State was among PDP’s stronghold and was never part of the Buhari Tsunami states in the North. Yet, he was able to deliver the state to the APC and did it again in 2019.

We should also note that unlike the politicians in reference, Governor Lalong was the main candidate for the election that he had won twice, and not selected to fill a religious balancing quota on the ballot under the shadow of a principal candidate because of perceived political correctness the Party embraced.

Mr. Lalong is polically stronger and a crowd puller as evidenced by his two wins at the polls and there is no iota of doubt that his candidature will boost the fortunes of the APC in 2023.