We will replicate Edo election strategy in Ondo, Anambra polls – Ganduje

The National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has announced that the party will adopt the same strategy used in the Edo State governorship election to secure victory in the upcoming November 16 election in Ondo State.

Ganduje, a former governor of Kano State, expressed confidence that the APC’s recent win in Edo, which saw Senator Monday Okpebholo declared the victor, would serve as a blueprint for future electoral successes.

Speaking during a celebration in Abuja with members of the Edo State election situation room, Ganduje also stated the party’s intention to extend this approach to win Anambra State, currently governed by the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), and other states in the South East in future elections.

He highlighted the APC’s ambition to establish a stronger foothold in the South East, stressing that a party of APC’s stature should have more control over the geopolitical zone.

He said:

“We have started working to develop strategies to win these states. Next year, Anambra state will follow. Let me remind you that we have a project which we named political demarginalisation of South East geo-political zone.

“That project is also a task that must be done. We will face South East zone with 5 states. We already have 2, but 2 is too small for a big party like ours.

We will face that state and see how we can recover many states in our favour,” Ganduje said.

Meanwhile, some elders of the APC from the North Central led by a former Senate President, Ameh Ebute, have expressed optimism that the 2027 general election would be a walkover for the party.

They spoke while on a visit to the party’s national secretariat in Abuja on Monday to congratulate Ganduje, on his victory at the High Court in a suit which sought his removal as chairman.

News360 Nigeria reports that the suit was filed by the North Central APC Forum which sought the court to declare Ganduje’s chairmanship of the party as a breach of the provisions of Article 7(vii) and (ix) of the party’s constitution and the consensus reached at the 2022 National Convention held in Abuja, that the national chairman of the APC from 2022 to 2026 must be someone from the North Central geopolitical zone of the country.

Ebute said, “We feel we should be the first to come and congratulate you on your winning of the Edo governorship election for the party; for adding Edo to states controlled by the APC. We have no doubt in your ability to lead this party to a higher level.

“We are happy that the suit seeking your sack as national chairman was struck out. We are solidly behind you and we shall continue to support you to take the party to the next level. With these achievements, we believe 2027 will be a walk over.”

Similarly, a former presidential aspirant, Cesnabmilhilo Oken’oval who was part of the delegation said, “We are very happy with your leadership and we will continue to support you.

2027 election will be the greatest shock, we will cary it clear and clean.”

Speaking on his victory at the federal High Court, Abuja during the visit, Ganduje said, “There is no doubt that claim was baseless and was treated by the court as such. We don’t fear such baseless litigations.”

On Edo election, he said, “The election of Saturday is an indication that our efforts are yielding results. Fighting an incumbent government is not easy.”