PDP Will Wait For APC Presidential Candidate To Emerge – Makarfi

Alhaji Ahmed Makarfi

The immediate past caretaker chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Ahmed Makarfi, said on Monday that the party will wait for the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to emerge before presenting its candidate to defeat the ruling party in 2019.

Makarfi, in an interview with THISDAY in Abuja, maintained that President Muhammadu Buhari or any other candidate presented by APC would be defeated.

Speaking on the moral right of President Buhari to seek reelection in 2019, Makarfi said, “Morality is a decision of the individual; I would rather look at it from the legal perspective. From the legal perspective, President Muhammadu Buhari is qualified to seek re-election. Of course, some people will call on him to re-contest, while others will tell him not to contest.

“But irrespective of the candidate the party presents, whether it is Buhari or any other candidate, he will be roundly defeated by the PDP in 2019. We are waiting for the candidate to emerge before we present our strategy to defeat such candidate. It is not the business of our party to determine the candidate of the APC or any other party.”

Makarfi added that the political, economic and security challenges facing the country have been on the rise under the current administration.

“You have also mentioned the socio-political and economic challenges in this country; the federal government is overwhelmed with the challenges, it has never been worse than this before. The security situation is worse, there are security crises everywhere. Our economy is very bad. The activities of insurgents are becoming alarming,” he added.

He said further that the federal government had failed in taking proactive measures against the activities of the militias, noting that the Islamic State in West Africa network had invaded the country, disguising as herdsmen.

He said, “We ought to have detected it and prevented it from happening. That is the duty of any responsive government.

“Again, I don’t know how easy it was for you to get fuel to come here? As for me it was not easy. I had to wait for hours to buy fuel at the filling station.

“The prices of foodstuff have gone very high, and where they are available, where do you get money to buy them? Basic infrastructure is not available, parents cannot pay their children’s school fees.

“Yet, people were busy celebrating the Abuja-Kaduna railway project. Just a few days ago, the train broke down inside the busy part of town—at the heart of kidnappers’ domain in Kaduna, and passengers were exposed to danger.”

Makarfi therefore, urged the security agencies to arrest and prosecute criminals and combat criminality promptly to serve as deterrent to others.

He also advised the Federal Government to reach out to neighbouring countries for solutions, especially where there is a cross border issue.