A Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji
Hassan Jalo, on Sunday expressed fears that President Goodluck Jonathan
cannot win February presidential election.
President Goodluck Jonathan
Jalo, who spoke in a chat with the Nation reporters in Kaduna, said
Jonathan may lose the election if he relies on the promises of
Abuja-based politicians.
He said the ruling party will be digging its own grave by underrating
the strength and the challenge of the country’s main opposition party
the All Progressives Congress (APC).
According to him, the ruling party can only emerge victorious by
returning to the drawing board as well as return to the grassroots to
mobilise for supports.
“PDP will fail if it relies on Abuja politicians because they
cannot decide who wins the presidential elections. The party must go
back to the drawing board and grassroots for it to come out victorious
in the 2015 elections. People are defecting in mass from PDP at the
grassroots. APC is a big threat to PDP because it is a formidable
opposition. People close to Jonathan don’t tell him the truth. The PDP
is in a serious problem – if it does not go back to the drawing board
and it keeps relying on the Abuja politicians. If the PDP does not do
that I’m afraid anything can happen in the 2015 general elections. PDP
is in danger. You see the plain truth is PDP should not take APC
lightly,” he said.
Jalo, who acknowledged that the APC is a very strong and formidable
opposition party, said the party is a threat to PDP. He said 2015
election will not be like any other elections, because PDP has lost five
formidable state governors.
“For PDP to lose Kano and Lagos, which are highly populated area,
forget it. Kano and Lagos brings the highest votes in Nigeria. Any
political party that can win the Northwest and Southwest and get
additional votes from Northeast, Northcentral, Southeast and Southsouth
will win the Presidency. Majority of the votes comes from the Northwest
and Southwest. And look at it that the PDP has lost Kano, Northwest and
Lagos, Southwest. PDP has messed up by losing Kwara, Adamawa and Sokoto.
When you take the Sokoto Caliphate, which comprises of Sokoto, Zamfara
and Kebbi, they vote in mass.
And even in this 2015 election, they will
vote in one direction from the way I’m looking at things. And all this
forms part of the Northwest. In Nigerian politics, ones you win in the
Southwest and Northwest, you have won the presidency because that is
where the bulk of the votes come from,” he said.