2023: Tinubu best bet for better living, economic turn-around, Says Kpatako, Chair North Central community in Lagos

Razaq Bamidele

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Mohammed Sharu Kpatako is the Chairman, North Central Community in Lagos State as well as member, Lagos State Executive Committee of the All Progressives Congress,  APC. He is also the State Chairman, North Central Community in Lagos State.

In an interaction with a couple of journalist in Lagos weekend, the North Central born politician took a critical look at the pedigree and antecedence of all the presidential candidates seeking Nigeria’s mandate to be president in the next year general election and declared Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu  of the APC as the most qualified.

According to him, either Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP), or any other candidates can only queue behind Tinubu in terms of credentials asserting that, “for better standard of living for Nigerians and economic turn-around, Tinubu is the answer.”

 

 

 

Here is the full interview:

Going by the way former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu emerged as your party’s presidential candidate for the next year’s general election, how do you feel about what his candidacy would portend for the country?

Senator Bola Tinubu’s emergence as the presidential candidate of our party, the APC, is the best thing to have happened not only to the party but to the country as a whole. If you are talking about anybody who can make a positive impact in politics and governance, Asiwaju Tinubu is the one. He has emerged as the APC Presidential Candidate and we thank God for that.

Though as human beings we have different opinions on issues, and everybody’s free to express his opinion but majority of our party members and Nigerians are happy that Tinubu has secured the APC presidential ticket and they are waiting for Election Day when they will elect him with their votes.

So for me, the emergence of Asiwaju as the Presidential candidate of the APC is a positive development for the country. The country needs his experience and we believe that he can deliver the country from the multifaceted problems facing us as a nation.

There was a day he came to address us in Lagos, that was before the primary and he assured us that by the grace of God,   he was going to get it  and the hands of God saw him through. We are happy about his emergence and we thank God for that.

What Tinubu has done in Lagos is a testimony to what he will do at the national level if he is elected. Thank God, Lagos is a cosmopolitan city and everybody can come and see what he has done in Lagos. To us, none of the other aspirants are close to him in terms of his achievements.

But if you look at the other contestants like Alhaji Atiku Abubakar  of the PDP, Peter Obi of the Labour Party and Rabiu Kwankwaso  of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), how confident are you about Tinubu’s victory in the Presidential election next February, 2023?

Election is getting nearer by the day and if you check the map of politics in the country, you will discover that victory is a done deal for the APC by the grace of God.  I hope you remember that the APC is the ruling party in the country.

So, Tinubu, who is our candidate, will enjoy tremendous support across the nooks and crannies of the country. Don’t judge our chances with what recently happened in Osun State.

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That is just an exemption.  We are going to coast home to victory in North Central, North East, North West, Southwest, South East and South-South. We are going to win. So no other candidate can match Tinubu.

As you prepare for the next election, can you say your party, APC is as solid and formidable as usual in Lagos State?

By the grace of God, we are doing well. For instance I am one of the leaders of ethnic nationalities in the party. I have been with Asiwaju for the past 15 years. In my hometown, they only believe in APC, nothing more, no other party.

What Tinubu has done to non-Yoruba speaking people in Lagos will benefit him. Look at the state cabinet, we have Igbo, we have Hausa, we have people from the North Central. I am from North Central, so you can see that Tinubu doesn’t discriminate against anybody or tribe.

You are the leader of the North Central Groups in Lagos APC, how are you carrying them along and what role are they playing in the progress of Lagos APC?

You know we have different tribes in the North Central. We have Nupe, we have Igala, we have Tiv, Idoma and so on and so forth. Initially when we came on board, we came on board as one tribe, Nupe. When Fashola came on board in 2007 we now invited other tribes into our fold, Igala, Ebira among others.

But today, the North Central platform is now the largest platform among all the ethnic nationalities in the Lagos APC. You know we also have the Igbo Community and the Arewa Community in the party.

What are your people doing towards ensuring that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu secures a second term in office?

The Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu has done tremendously well. I really believe in God, when you are doing what you should do for the common man, God will reward you. People are willing to vote for him. I can assure you that.

Do you feel threatened by the PDP leadership’s boasting of readiness to win Lagos State next year?

Honestly, the PDP cannot win an election in Lagos. The structure of APC in Lagos is well founded and with what we have been able to put together since 1999, PDP cannot match us. What we have they don’t have. It is as simple as that.

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People are just unnecessarily overrating Dr Jide Adediran (Jandor), the PDP governorship candidate, he cannot win the election. What is Adediran’s strength, he doesn’t have any strength. He is just like one Councillor in APC and he moved away. He cannot deliver any vote.

You will see it and I am assuring you that the PDP cannot make any impact in the coming election in Lagos State. The North Central People in Lagos State will give block votes to Tinubu and Governor Sanwo-Olu. We have been doing it in the past; we will still do it now. We are working and we know what we are doing. Please forget the noise on social media. We are going to win the election.

Our party leaders should unite. There is no party that doesn’t have a crisis but when the crisis arises, we should settle it peacefully. The reconciliation committee is doing well to bring unity into the party. This is the month we are waiting for, the month of the beginning of the campaign.

Do you have any word of advice to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) towards the coming election?

I want to advise the commission to do the election right to the best of their ability. We are not soliciting for their support. They should just be impartial and live up to their name by being independent. We are not asking for anything more than that.