Use of placeholder shows APC not ready for 2023 election – Okowa

Vice presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party and the Govenror of Delta State Ifeanyi Okowa says the decision of the All Progressives Congress to use a placeholder as its presidential running late shows the party is not ready for the elections in 2023.

WesternPost had reported that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, APC’s presidential flagbearer, had submitted the name of a Katsina politician, Ibrahim Masari, as his running in the placeholder capacity to beat the deadline by the Independent National Electoral Commission for the submission of candidates.

While speaking on Channels TV programme Politics Today on Thursday, Okowa said the strategy by the APC was not smart and that it also smacks of confusion in the party.

“We can see that the APC is already finding it difficult to find who will be their vice-presidential candidate. We are hearing what we have not heard before that they have somebody on placement to be replaced (as vice-presidential candidate).

“That actually is not smart. It does not make us believe that they are ready for the election. There is still a lot of confusion in the APC,” Okowa said.

Describing his joint ticket with former vice president Atiku Abubakar as “strong,” Okowa expressed confidence that the PDP would emerge victorious in the 2023 presidential election.

“I believe that Nigerians do know that we will bring a lot of experiences on board. The experiences of a former vice president (of Nigeria) and the experience that I also bring to the ticket, from both the legislature and having been a governor.

“It is going to be just beyond the issue of zones when we go into the campaigns. The positive experience that I bring on board will definitely give us a victory path,” he said.