Dozie Ikedife (Jr.), the South-East Zonal Organising Secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress, believes that Bola Tinubu, the APC's presidential candidate, will win convincingly in Anambra state and the rest of the South-East in the forthcoming February presidential election.
Ikedife claimed to reporters on Monday in Nnewi, Anambra state, that Tinubu can defeat Peter Obi, the candidate of the Labour Party, in the 2019 elections.
According to Ikedife, Tinubu's tenure as governor of Lagos state is a strong indicator that has improved the chances of the APC in the approaching elections, giving them an advantage over Obi and the LP.
He predicted that Peter Umeadi, a candidate for the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), would lose to the former governor of Lagos.
He claimed that Tinubu is a genius at putting together talented people and giving them the chance to contribute to the larger goals. The presidency is all about this, really.
He said, “We appreciate that APGA is domiciled in Anambra State. We also acknowledge that the OBIdient Movement is powerful in Anambra and the South-East. Still, this time around, APC will change the narrative as far as the February 25 presidential election is concerned.
“APC is very strong in Anambra with formidable structures. APC has two ministers from Anambra State. Chris Ngige is the Minister of Labour and Employment, and Sharon Ikeazor is the Minister of State for the Environment.
“We also have Ben Akabueze as Director in the Budget Office; Margery Okadigbo as the Chairman of the NNPC Board; as well as George Moghalu as the Executive Chairman of NIWA. All of them are sons and daughters of the state, and their positions will play very important roles in delivering results for APC in the coming elections.”
On the topic of Tinubu’s age being a hindrance to his presidential ambitions, he said that the Presidency is more about the ability to manage superior reasoning and logic than it is about age per se.
He said, “Presidency is about delegating duties to the right people and putting the right people to the right tasks. Tinubu is a master in identifying talents and giving talents the right opportunity to work for greater goals.
“Presidency is not about weight lifting. It is about sitting down, talking with your team, and delegating assignments. I believe that with the kind of experience that Tinubu has, he can lift the economy of Nigeria and place it in the right part of development.
“Tinubu has the best manifesto. In all his undertakings, he has shown consistency. The mind-bugling developmental milestones in Lagos today are ideas ventilated by Tinubu. Tinubu is a master of good governance, and I have no doubt in my mind that he will replicate the same if elected president.”
Ikedife revealed his thoughts on supporting Nigeria’s president of Igbo descent, arguing that what is needed is a person who will deliver good governance.
“I don’t think that you and I care at all if the person that built the Second Niger Bridge is from the South-East or not. People that ply the bridge are happy but do not care if it was built by a person from the north or South-East. What should be important to us is the person that provides good governance, and is able to deliver results,” he stated.