Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
Ahead of the October 5 national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), former governor of Kano State , Rabiu Kwankwaso has said there are a lot of factors in his favour in the opposition party’s presidential primary.
Kwankwaso, who defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the opposition party, declared his intention to contest the 2019 presidential poll on the platform of the PDP last week. The former governor told journalists in Abuja, at the weekend, that the fact that he hails from Kano State in the North West, coupled with with his vast network puts him ahead of other contestants for the PDP presidential ticket.
“I think there are so many things that are working for me as an aspirant. Some of these things are just by mere luck. Some of them are as a result of hard work determination and commitment. Take for example, if you come from Kano, it is the most populous state going by the last census in this country and politics is a game of number.
“Secondly, North West is also the most populous zone. If you look at the figure as they stand now, North West is roughly North East plus North Central. And, therefore, North West has more population when you compare it with any other zone in this country. And that is on one side.
“On the other hand, we are lucky that, by the grace of God, we are given long life; we’ve done so much. We had so many opportunities to interact with so many people in this country. And it is difficult to go to any place now without seeing my personal, because, don’t forget, I was deputy speaker of the House of Representatives in 1992.
“We had 593 members and we lost just over 100. You can see we still have quite a number still living and I do relate with them. And all these members who are automatic delegates to this Convention are automatically Kwankwasiyya members; meaning they are my supporters. That is the starting point.”
READ ALSO: Obasanjo commends Gov. Umahi
While expressing optimism that the PDP will the 2019 general elections, Kwankwaso said his position that the party’s presidential candidate coming from the North West was merely a suggestion, so as to avoid a situation where the APC may win the zone through sentiment.