The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has declared that the opposition parties in the 2023 presidential election lost because of their overconfidence, complacency and bad tactical moves.
SaharaReporters reported that Buhari made this statement on Thursday while playing host to the Progressive Governors Forum of the All Progressive Congress, led by their Chairman, Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State at his residence in the State House, Abuja.
Buhari asserted that while the APC was working hard to retain power in the recent elections, the combined opposition was busy telling their foreign supporters that they would defeat the APC.
In the statement titled: “President Buhari: Opposition Was Victim OF Over Confidence In Last Elections,” issued by the Senior Special Assistant to the president on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, Buhari maintained that these actions by the opposition parties also created more problems for them than anyone else.
The statement read, “They were already telling their foreign backers that they would defeat the APC. Our party blended confidence with caution, we worked hard and won. Now, their overconfidence is creating more problems for the opposition than anyone else. They are finding it hard to convince those who supported them from outside why they are unable to beat us.
“A combination of over confidence, complacency and bad tactical moves made them lose, plain and clear. This has created more problems in their camp. Why did they fail to remove us?
“An important reason I congratulate Asiwaju on winning is because the opposition got support and false hope from outside and went on to create the impression that they will win, that they will defeat us. How more wrong could anyone be?
“Try and keep solving problems. Be courageous to discuss them openly between yourselves. This is the best way to survive politically in Nigeria.
“You (Governors) have a program to meet regularly and to discuss issues and how to maintain the Party nationwide.”
Buhari spoke about his retirement plan, that he intended to be at home in Daura, Katsina State, for six months before moving eventually to Kaduna.
He thanked the Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, for the infrastructure he has provided that would make life for his retirement and that of the people of the state much better, adding that the Governor of Kano had equally done the same.
The Governors in attendance were from Kebbi, Plateau, Imo, Kwara, Ekiti, Kaduna, Kogi, Lagos, Cross Rivers, Jigawa, Katsina, Ogun and Nasarawa States.
The Deputy Governors of Kano, Gombe, Borno and Ebonyi were in attendance, as well as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha.
