The Chairman of the Senate Committee of Media and Public Affairs, Senator Ajibola Basiru, on Wednesday, ruled out any third political force, noting that the 2023 elections will be a contest between the ruling All Progressives Congress and the leading opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party.
The Senator representing Osun Central Senatorial District in the 9th National Assembly spoke on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ current affairs programme.
Specifically, Basiru said the Rescue Nigeria Project unveiled on Tuesday by ex-Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Attahiru Jega; foremost Nigerian Professor of Political Economy, Pat Utomi, alongside several politicians, would fail.
According to him, an “assemblage of failed politicians” cannot say they want to rescue Nigerians or give a third force to the country in 2023.
“The so-called Special Rescue Project is a special purpose vehicle which is bound to fail and it would fail definitely,” he stated.
Continuing, Basiru said, “As far as I am concerned, you can mark today’s date, nothing serious would come out of the so-called effort that is put in place.”
“In this country, setting up political parties have become business and for some people, they set up political parties to have opportunities of speaking on national television, some opportunities to also relate with other politicians and get something or the other but they are not really serious politicians.
“As far as I am concerned today, if electoral contest is anything to go about today, you can only mention political parties like APC, PDP, APGA –may be in a particular state, and some splinter parties.
“The truth is that the 2023 election is going to be about a choice between the APC, my political party and the party of President Muhammadu Buhari, and the PDP. The other people, the third force, there was a time some people even named their own political party, Mega Political Party, at the end of the day, Mega Political Party never had a councillor not to talk of a chairman.
“I want to say with all sense of responsibility that it is wrong to say that the APC should be thrown away. My party, the APC has brought quantum development in all aspects,” the Senator stated.
“We are the best that has ever happened to the country since 1999 and we are going to continue to provide leadership to the country beyond 2023. I am very confident about that,” he stated.
But reacting on the television programme, Yunusa Tanko, a member of the National Consultative Front, the group which unveiled the Rescue Nigeria Project, lambasted the Senator for his “grandstanding”.
Tanko insisted that his group was bent on rescuing Nigerians who are tired of the economic, security and general governance failures of the ruling APC.
