 Stop dreaming about winning 2023 elections. Presidency tells the PDP and Abga Hills court ruling on Charles Saludo, but demands apology from INEC. This is Plus Politics and I am Mary Annacle. Ruling all progressive Congress APC has disclosed its resolve to produce a consensus presidential candidate in the lead up to the 2023 general elections. The statement made in a recent reaction to allegations by the opposition, People's Democratic Party, PDP, saying that President Mohamed Abu-Hairi was planning a self succession bid. The presidency told the PDP to stop dreaming of winning the 2023 general elections because the masses will still reckon with President Mohamed Abu-Hairi and will never abandon him. Well, joining us to discuss this is Gadgetan Duki is the director general of the All Progressive Congress Media Center in Emore State and also joining us is Tafik Ghani. He is the People's Democratic Party PDP publicity secretary in Lagos State. Thank you very much gentlemen for joining us. Thank you for my writing. All right Tafik, I'm going to start with you obviously. Why does the PDP believe that the president has a self succession bid of sorts? I mean, because this is what has been incinerated by the PDP. What has the president done or said or what has what have you seen, you know, in the body language of Mr. President that would warrant this statement? To me, I think it is not even the PDP. Probably the PDP is the loudest. Even the social and cultural groups have said it. So many people, the opening activities have also said it. People from even outside the country have said it. And I think whether they care about it or not, the list that is likely to come out is that we will have a priority by putting that another person who will be 100% priority agenda. But the opportunity thing is that it's not even a progressive way forward. I mean, it's going to be the negative way forward because what's co-cut has the body given to Nigerians to warrant, I mean, the gods to even want to let APC continue. So there's no doubt about it, that the expression and plan is either Bwari as a person who continue because like the social and cultural groups have said it, that the body is planning a situation where the country will be so destabilized that we may not even have elections in 2023. And the conclusion is clear. I mean, they can always manipulate and manipulate. Eventually, you will find a solution on the next issue. So that's total, even if it is for one day, it's total. So the opportunity aspect of it is that it's not even like you have a very political co-cut to show to Nigerians that we will make Nigerians be the one that we will demand that you continue. So we are in such situation in this country now that in the budget to cut us, I would just need to be very, very careful. I used to say that pressure Bwari should be allowed. But I can tell you that in the last two and a half years I've been so disappointed in him as a person leading us because it does appear that this man has got no clue and the party is all thrown in the high district and they're just playing on the terms of Nigerians and playing on the terms of Nigerians that they would rather stay with the government than go like a no-prison and then gradually we have... Say it. ...Tibu War. In some instance, we have had PPP, PPP, being the party that is even checkmaking opposition against this government. Just because we believe that this may or may not work but it will go out that many, the PPP and the opposition that is not progressive. It is the ruling party that will take responsibility for all that is happening. Well, I know that the PPP, for the PPP and the PPP, let's not get too late on what is happening in this country now, what happened. And they're so blue. They're so over-blue. They didn't actually, it was more than that. Today, PPP is one of those who is saying that Nigerians should stop condemning Nigeria after the shock of this country. But remember anyway, that one of the reasons is why we still have Bwari that was that they worked and I think that the FPP, they're trying to keep power from Nigeria. They worked and I think that America to say that Nigeria was going to use those Tocano athletes then to fight the opposition. They were in the opposition then. They still destroyed this country. They hired some activities that I don't want to mention but we all know that. Ryan, FPP. Okay. And the church of PPP, today, today, these people are so quiet. They cannot talk again. Because they are so in their hands. Now, the unfortunate thing is that the heavens, like you say, will fall on everybody. We are in a very, very bad situation. I'm repeating it. We just have to let these people marry themselves and go away. But they must not, they must not, it's allowed for them to take this country to the other country. And this body that is- All right. I don't know if you can hear me, Mr. Taufi. Well, we have to take a quick break. Can you hear me? We need to take a quick break. And when we come back, we'll continue this conversation. I think that you really cannot hear me, but we'll be right back after the break. Thank you for joining us. It's still plus politics. And we are talking about the APC and the PPP going head to head as to what will happen in 2023. And before we went on that break, we were talking with Taufi Ghani. He's the PPP Publicities Secretary here in Lagos. But joining us now is the Director-General of the APC Media Center in Emo. Khadatan, unfortunately, you did not hear half of what Taufi said, but then there are obviously allegations. And he has said that he concurs that the APC doesn't, or rather that the APC doesn't have a succession plan that it might be Mr. President coming back in 2023 or probably somebody that is just like the President. But your party has said that he has a consensus candidate. He will come up with a consensus candidate, a candidate that Nigerians will appreciate. But then you have also said that I would like to say what the Presidency's response was to the PDP on this particular matter. The Presidency, I'd like to quote Garba Sheh who has said that they're certain that power will return to the APC in 2023. Garba Sheh who said the masses will still reckon with the President and will not abandon him. So I'm trying to understand the last part of that statement that the masses will reckon with the President and will not abandon him. Was there a poll that was taken by the APC to test the polls of the people as to how they feel about Mr. President? Did you speak to people? Is this as a result of the reactions that you've gotten from Nigerians or is this a figment of your imagination? I have one first and foremost man. Let me thank you for having me this evening. Let me go back to the allegation of the Deputy Democratic Party. It is unfortunate that the Deputy Democratic Party failed as a new party for 16 years and are also failing as an opposition party in Nigeria in this way. It is mischievous and ridiculous to allude or to allude that President Mohd Bahra is having or not an outcome agenda. The outcome agenda in political history was brought into existence by the Deputy Democratic Party. It is not an origination of APC and I can tell you categorically here that our party and the President has no intention to stay in office beyond his constitutionally granted two times which he established. Okay, what I'd like to say that I got my share to say that the prosperity when we present in his office, prosperity will always remember him for what he has done for the good work he has been doing in Nigeria, which is unprecedented in the history of Nigeria. Like the National Security Council of our party said, clear his passage, the party is trying to ensure that we do not disturb the President with individual ambition that at the up of the time, at the up of the time that the party will come up with a consensus that will reflect the interest and distillation of the greater percentage of the people. That is the position. So, but you haven't answered all of my questions because Garba Sheikh, who again I'd say, is saying that the bid for 2023 is fully hinged on the fact that Nigerians are going to stand by the President. They will not abandon him. And I'm asking, and I'm asking, I'm sorry, did the APC have a poll? Did you do like, did you go to the people and ask them this or is this the reaction that the people have given you in the different states? Or is this just something that the APC is imagining? Of course, the people will not abandon the President because whoever the President is standing behind in 2021, the people will likewise stand behind the passing, the passport candidate or the party because the President is standing behind the person. Who are these people that you are making reference to? Is it the people that are in the APC states or Nigerians at large? Sorry, come again. Who are the people that you keep mentioning? These people that will stand by the President, are they people in the APC states or Nigerians at large? I'm sorry, the Nigerians, please. Interesting. Has the President and the APC really stood by the masses? As Garbashé, who is saying, has the President been there for the people? Has he supported the people as he should? And really, how does the APC hope that they will get this overwhelming support from the people if your answer is in the negative? If the President is hoping to get the people support in 2023 and already Garbashé, who is pre-empting and saying that the people will stand by the President and not abandon the President. How well has the President see and the APC stood by the people of Nigeria? These same people that they're hoping will stand by them in 2023, such that the people reciprocate when they want it to happen. Yes, beyond the political manipulation and the response to the attacks by the opposition PDT, the generalities, the greater percentage of the Nigerian masses are totally, are completely standing strongly with the hands of the President and all these people-oriented projects and policies. You said sponsored attacks by the opposition. What attacks are you referring to? Media sponsors attacks. Media sponsored attacks. Mr. Taufiq, would you care to respond to Karthik and Duke? Mr. Taufiq, can you hear me? Mr. Taufiq, can you hear me? I think that we lost him, but let's go ahead. According to the APC, I'm coming back to you, Duke, the PDP has been accused of giving false hope to Nigerians that because of the alleged poor performance of Mr. President, according to your APC, and the insecurity that we're facing and all of the shortcomings that the ruling APC at the national level is not doing its job, and so that the PDP is saying they will win in 2020. And you're saying that that is false, that the PDP does not have what it takes to win in 2023. Why do you think that? Well, the truth is very clear. The Nigerian masses know where we were in 2015 and where we are today. And looking back, the people that dragged us to where we took off from are the same people that are asking return tickets. You see, Nigerian people are not fools that they will hope for the people, they will hope for solutions from the same people that created the problem we are facing today, or the whole problem we are facing today are the problems that were created, not just by the people of the Democratic Party PDP. And it will be a shoe hat to believe that the same person, the same people, the same group of people that created the problem we are having today will come back to solve the problem when they could not solve the problem for 60 years in office. So we are moving forward. And I can assure you that if you see what is the majority of the PDP elected officials are moving into APC for the actualization of their political survival. So I don't know who will let the PDP into the political actualization of the power. You made mention of where we were in 2015 compared to now. So you're telling me that we are in a better place compared to 2015 in every wise. I'd like to remind you of the three things that the presidency, the president himself campaigned on. He promised to give us security, he promised to put an end to Boko Haram, but I'm guessing we have much more than Boko Haram right now in 2021 to deal with. The president did promise that he was going to give us employment and put an end to all of the economic stress and turmoil that we have been facing as a country. We still haven't seen that. And of course, the president did promise to fight corruption, but I do not know what's your scorecard as the APC, someone who's speaking on behalf of the party. Are we really in a better place? And I want you to give me facts. Okay, now I want to draw your attention that period to 2020 general election, period to 2020 general election, we are having bomb blasts on a daily basis. Really? We are having bomb blasts on a daily basis in the central capital, Trabuja. Okay. That's what it is. We are having bomb blasts every day. We have subdued insurgency into the new country. Didn't we really have bomb blasts every day? I said facts. I want you to be factual. Yeah, but I'm factual and you can- Every day. You can confirm it. We are having bomb blasts on a daily basis in the central capital, Trabuja. We have not forgotten details. Every day? But in the issue of corruption, the APC government has stood so firm and so clear on the issue of corruption and the protection of corruption related to cases in Nigeria. And of course, the records are there. We have had records of some of the governors who are not serving, they are jailed in a correctional sentence. We have had some senators who have served, who have served as we are serving, they are jailed in a correctional sentence across the country. One before in business, they do the in-house run of duty. They do the in-house run of duty. What about the governors who somewhat have corruption cases but are now members of the APC? Where is their jail time? Where is their day in court? There is no protection for anybody in the APC. There is no protection for anybody in the APC. And I can give you one example in a normal stage. For instance, we have an APC governor. Who is the conflict? Who is the conflict-looted property of the state? Some former APC governor. Well, I want you to quickly respond in terms of insecurity. But let me just do a little... Let me give you some background to where we are in 2021. We have killer herdsmen. It started as killer herdsmen. Then it became headers, vessels, farmers' conflict. Then it became banditry and then kidnapping. And we still have Boko Haram in the fringes, of course. And then at some point, Boko Haram hoisted a flag. In Niger State, a few kilometers away from the FCT. As we speak, we have had several cases of these same killer herdsmen in the Southwest. This is something that has reverberated and has caused some form of reaction where you have southern governors asking for an outright ban of open grazing. We also have ethnic agitations and non-state actors creeping up as a result of the insecurity in this country. But you're telling me that the only thing that the APC has done, and this is what I'm quoting you, is that when we were in 2015, we had bomb blasts in the FCT every day, according to you. And that that's no more. So this is your tick on the box of fighting insecurity. Are you for real? I'm not for you. Mr. Duke, that question was for you. Unfortunately, I don't think we can hear Mr. Duke. Mr. Taufiq, are you back? Can you hear me? Hello? Yes. Mr. Taufiq, I don't know if you heard half of what Mr. Duke said in terms of what the APC has done so far that would warrant Nigerians to stand by, Mr. President, come 2023. Let me just quickly go to what Garabasheh, who has said about the PDP, he's saying that you have given the people false hope. You have made them believe that because of a few shortcomings of the presidency, that you would quickly swoop in in 2023 and win the elections, but that you do not have what it takes. But does he have a point, because we see a lot of your governors and some of your senators cross-captaining. We've seen a lot of it. And in fact, as we speak, the PDP is, you know, in court as to the Zamfara, the Zamfara state governor and his defection. Mr. Taufiq, can you hear me? Go ahead. I did not hear you clearly, but I can talk about it, please, because you said it in the opening remarks. Let me tell you, the only persons that are still believing President Buwari and the APC are the Kalkari members of APC and the leaders of the president. It is so bad that the APC is today staying at the presidency alone. Yes, go ahead. He's saying that the PDP is failing. What we are using today, this mood of commutation today, it's a legacy put down by the PDP. I was talking about GSS. The war's recession came up and affected the world. Even America could not survive it. We survived it, it was under PDP. You couldn't realize it's still alive. We brought the poor in place all over the world to come and help Nigeria. That does not happen on a mix. We had a country that was soon united, it was under the PDP. We gave democracy to Nigeria. We repeated democracy. We repeated it before time. It was under the PDP. As we talk today, we really want you to be about the biggest legacy that no person would want to claim. What's in the city was started, was actually put in motion by President Buwari and Jonathan. And we all saw it, the record is there. It is also fortunate that we have a party that thinks about itself as a party and not as Nigerians and doing, and trying to do what Nigeria wants. In any case, let me go back specifically on what Galban Sherwin has said. Galban Sherwin must talk like that. He's representing the president. He might not even be saying this, because he's convinced that he can deliver. But for him to embarrass Nigeria by saying that he might be representing Buwari, how? It is not possible, because even in the North, go to the North, they have control, opinion pool. Where the Buwari today is not like at all. It's no more like in the North. And it's not like that. Have you conducted an opinion pool to come to that country? Jonathan was going to continue South control of the country. That made the PDP lose their election. It was not because the PDP had said of the United States, it was just a simple geopolitical arrangement which the PDP miscalculated. And I'm going to concede that. And then cost downloads. And of course, the revampations of some PDP members. We went to the APC. We have covered that regrettably. So, but we will continue to speak as specters, the PDP and me. We continue to speak as specters. And we hear every time the PDP mentioned about the United States, it was a speak or a check of the facts in the water. Who speak to destroy this country? It is not in the character of the PDP. That is what, that is what everybody knows the APC for. To be an APC is a lot of things that they were in the forefront. And eventually destroyed this country. Now they are denying that they ever participated in something that's like destroying the image of the country. To make them believe that the PDP was the bad. The PDP was anti-people, was anti-human right. It was post-war in Bukwaram. They were doing this, they were doing that. So I am just going to say that the Nigerian people are waiting for 2023 like it should be today. I can put it back. I can put it back. That in the first place, this disjointed APC that does not even have a school that is using the character of the PDP is not even likely to survive since 2003. But assuming that the PDP wants to desperately improve himself. Because you remember, this was the same president before that destroyed democracy that put us by 20 years. If it were to him, if it were to him, if it were to him, if it were to him today that we have bad governance and him as the head president and then the military takes over. I cannot, I cannot tell. All right, let me just ask a quick question because we're out of time. One last question to you. Yes, you have made your points about the APC and of course the APC man has also spoken for his party. But we see the infighting in your party. We see the losses that you have taken. I mean, we started in Cross River and then a boy and then you have Zamfara. Do you think the PDP has what it takes even to survive in 2023? Do you have what it takes to produce a president that the people can accept all across the country? Because of course he has to be one that is wanted by all. Oh, the PDP, the PDP has the biggest asset for now to win the APC in rejection of the APC by the masses and will continue to see it. Unless the APC is actually going to hack that plan by the president not to have a lesson in 2023, that's the only reason why they will feel that they must win 2000. But it is so obvious that they cannot win a lesson. Everywhere there is freedom. Education, there is freedom. If I start off, there is freedom. Psychologically, freedom right here is when divided that any other period in history. Now, the PDP is however not going to play the rule that was played by the APC because we want to win 2023. We are only saying that the INEC and all electoral bodies come to 2023 will be free-fake and legal. Only anybody that contest under the PDP, I am from any political role, will win anybody that contest under the PDP. As I speak to you, as I speak to you by way of revealing to you, they are already planning another semester. They want to take the next one, that it is we cannot share the brand again. And we know this, we have to go. We are all in for that. We do not have time to break them down, but I want to say thank you to the Director-General of the APC Media Center, Imo State Kajaten Dukad, of course the People's Democratic Party publicity secretary here in Lagos State, Taufi Gany. Thank you very much, gentlemen, for speaking with us. We have to go. All right. Well, thank you all for staying and watching. We'll take a short break now and when we return, we will discuss a court affirmation of the candidates here. Charles Chukobar Soludo, for ABCA in our number of days. Some jubilate and others are not happy. We'll be right back. Take a break.