A former Minister of Information, Chief Tony Momoh, on Friday said the exit of some bigwigs from the All Progressives Congress (APC) would not stop President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-election in 2019.
Momoh, also an APC chieftain, expressed the view in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
NAN reports that the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, Sen. Dino Melaye , Sen. Bernabas Gemade were some of tens of National Assembly members that had dumped the APC for the People’s Democratic Party(PDP) in recent days.
Gov. Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto, Gov. Samuel Ortom of Benue and Gov. Abdul Fatah Ahmed of Kwara had also left with many of their state houses of assembly members to the PDP.
The Publicity Secretary of APC, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, who is political godson of Saraki had also left the party for PDP.
Momoh said while the defectors might get substantial votes for their new party in their respective areas, Buhari would still win in their domains.
The former minister said Buhari got more votes than most of the defectors in their respective zones and states, and the same thing would happen in the next election.
He said that the president had done well as a leader, and Nigerians would show appreciation and re-elect him.
“I do not think the defection would stop the President from winning in the next election.
“I will not say that it will not affect the votes of the president; votes are about people, and now that some people have left, it will have some impact.
“But I do not think that the impact will be such that it would stop the president from winning.
“Come to think, the president got more votes more than the defectors in their senatorial zones and states mostly in the North in 2015.
“Overall he got 15million votes in the election. Now that he is president who has performed well, he will get more votes mostly in the South-South and South-East.
“He has delivered great projects in these two regions which did not really vote for him in 2018.
“The votes the president will get in these regions will make up much more for the very few votes he might lose to defections in the North,” he said.
Momoh said APC should not lose sleep over the defection, as Buhari would record his biggest win ever in 2019.
The former minister said the president had not disappointed Nigerians on the three-pronged promises of security, corruption and economy on which he campaigned.
He said the second term of the president would enable him to consolidate on his present achievements.
NAN
