Friday, May 18, 2018

No Strong Opposition to Defeat Buhari Yet – Adeniyi
By Jeremiah Oke, Ibadan
Nigeria Daily Trust
May 18 2018 2:00AM

The former Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, Mr Olusegun Adeniyi, said yesterday that he is yet to see a formidable opposition strong enough to defeat President Mohammed Buhari in 2019.

Adeniyi said this at the review of his book entitled: ‘Against the Run of Play’ at the Ibadan School of Government and Public Policy (ISGPP).

Addressing the gathering of academics and other professionals who attended the book reading, Adeniyi identified fragmented opposition as the most important factor that made incumbent candidates win elections all over the world. He recalled that President Goodluck Jonathan lost in the 2015 election because the opposition parties came together to form a strong force against him and his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

As the 2019 elections draw nearer, frontline journalist said he was yet to see a formidable opposition  strong enough to defeat Buhari, pointing out that the All Progressives Congress (APC) was already solidly on ground more than one year before the 2015 general elections.

He said: “I don’t expect anything different in the 2019 elections. I expect that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will perform better than it did in 2015. I also expect that whoever wants to be president, either the incumbent or challenger should challenge the process and at the end of the day, we’ll see what happens.”

When asked if the massive campaign for Nigerians to get their Permanent Voter Card (PVC) could help the opposition in the election, Adeniyi said, “Yes, it can play a part, but what I think basically is that Buhari’s biggest challenger today, is ‘go and get your PVC.’ That is not a candidate. Yes, people will get their PVC but who are they voting for? It is also important; I like the awareness, I like the consciousness. People are really ready to go out and vote, but it also matters who they are voting for and the platform and what those people are bringing to the table. I know that in 2015, there were people who voted, not for Buhari but just against Jonathan. We may end up with the same situation,” he said.

The reviewer, Prof. Ayo Olukotun and other participants commended Adeniyi for the thorough research he did on the book as well as the insights he offered readers on what went on in the corridors of power.

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