In what is undoubtedly the most damning statement on the eve of any election anywhere in the world, the head of General Buhari’s presidential election campaign, Honourable Rotimi Amaechi has categorically given the verdict on Saturday’s poll: “The APC is going to lose decisively.”
Amaechi has form for being caught on tape in the now infamous Amaechi tapes that were leaked and played in a string of Twitter posts which caught the imagination of the Nigerian electorate over the last few weeks.
However, nothing is as explosive as this revelation from him where he states; “We are going to lose”, that has come to light just hours as the polls open on Saturday.
Not only does he admit the APC is headed for defeat but that he has known it for a while as he has used the time to prepare for his departure: “I have packed my bags and prepared my handover notes”. The remarks were made in public a few days ago in a chat with journalists on a train.
What makes this revelation all the more extraordinary is that he said this statement in the presence of other people so there is no room for denial or accusations of forgery.
What Amaechi says is in line with what political circles have been alive to for the last four weeks – that the APC was heading for a loss – ever since the PDP Candidate, Atiku Abubakar, visited America on 16th January and the Government made its major blunder with the unconstitutional suspension of the Chief Justice.
That was the moment when the political see-saw decisively tipped in favour of Atiku and ever since, many of the political assets previously on Buhari’s side have increasingly slid into Atiku’s lap.
With the torrent of endorsements from political parties, religious and ethnic groups to the silent departure of many of Buhari’s political supporters in his own party. APC Governors without quitting the party are covertly working to support Atiku in the Presidential race in exchange for being able to migrate to the PDP when Atiku takes office in May.
One of the world’s most famous political strategists, Lord Bell, (“Thatcher’s ad man”) who has worked extensively on Nigerian election campaigns said “The unravelling of the APC is like the unpeeling of an onion where after you have removed a number of the layers before you know it you end up with nothing.”
“Ever since the PDP rally in Kano on February 10th, 2019 which decisively showed ‘Buhari’s northern reboubt’ had fallen, there is an increasing ‘fin de le siecle’ (end of the cycle) feeling about this administration with a growing stench hanging around the coattails of the APC – the smell of decay, despondency and despair.”