The All Progressives Congress (APC), has remained bullish on its chances of retaining power beyond 2023 despite its internal crisis, controversial Muslim-Muslim ticket, and the Buhari administration's disastrous years in office.
The ruling party's optimism is believed to be tied to its power of incumbency. However, with President Muhammadu Buhari’s pledge to ensure a free, fair and credible election come 2023, analysts believe the party will need a miracle, or employ new strategies to cheat the system.
While the APC’s struggles would naturally mean good news to the nation's main opposition party, PDP, this is by no means, the case as the PDP is similarly plagued by unresolved internal wranglings.
Nevertheless, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, welcomes Buhari's pledge to not interfere in the next election, saying the president will be remembered for it, even though it would cost his party the election.
Speaking at the flag-off of construction work of Igwuruta internal roads in Ikwerre Local Government Area of the State, Wike thanked the president for promising not to interfere in the 2023 election.
According to Wike: “I thank Mr. President that he wants to leave a legacy of conducting a free and fair election.
“Thank God Mr. President for saying that you will not interfere or intimidate anybody. That means your party has no way to win.”
Meanwhile, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Kingsley Wenenda Wali, has said although the national ruling party has internal crisis, the situation in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is much worse.
Wali, who is also the national leader of a good governance advocacy group, the Unity House Foundation (UHF),said the severity of the crisis in the PDP, is evident when a governor invites members of the opposition to commission projects.
“APC has problem, but PDP has the worst problem. Look at the national and at the state levels, there is so much bitterness in the system," Wali told the LEADERSHIP in an interview in Port Harcourt.
“If you have a situation where a state government is commissioning projects, hosting members of the opposition with fanfare, then, something is very wrong with the system.
“I don’t know whether it is the governor’s fault or the party’s fault, but something is wrong. In APC, we have not gotten to that point where our presidential candidate is having problem with one or two governors of his party,” he added.