The Action Alliance (AA) presidential candidate, Hamza al-Mustapha, has stated that Nigerians will not be voting for parties with regards to choosing the next president in the forthcoming 2023 general elections.
The former aide to the Late Head of State, Sani Abacha, who disclosed this while speaking during an interview with British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Hausa service, stated that Nigerians would vote for individuals during the election rather than the customary political party that has been used. According to him, citizens are currently tired of the hardship in the country and are searching for a solution.
He further said, although the embargo on campaigns for the elections in 2023 is currently still in place and won’t be lifted until September 28, the election appears to already be underway and politics are being played in various ways, with some playing it out in the open and others playing it behind closed doors.
He added, “We must know that any political party that’s engaged in a public campaign is simply breaking the sections of the Electoral Act as regards campaigns. Our party, AA, is a law-abiding party, and will continue to be so irrespective of what happened. We don’t violate the law, particularly the Electoral Act; hence, we have been quiet regarding the election campaign”.
Al-Mustapha said different political parties were doing things their way; things they think would favour them and increase their chances in the forthcoming general elections, adding that they are doing their strategies and don’t necessarily need to make it public. He said his party, AA, has not been making noise or saying things in the media but claimed it doesn’t stop it from doing something, stressing that whatever is useful and meaningful to one political party may be otherwise for the other political party.
He alleged that many of the acclaimed “big political parties” are banking on the wealth they may have acquired over the years they have been in government, stressing that they would be disappointed this time as the hope and confidence of Nigerians are in the people, they have prayed God to do away with people who have no good intentions for the people of Nigeria. Things and times have changed, people might have voted for parties in the past but that won’t be the same this time as Nigerians are not looking the way of political parties simply because they have suffered enough due to poor governance”.
According to him, “”The hardship in Nigeria has hit Nigerians hard that they are looking for solutions instead of relying on political parties, some of which inflicted pain on them”.
The presidential candidate further explained that they have been having meetings and several consultations with people who matter in their party, stressing that they are also wooing other people who they think can play a great role in their quest to achieve victory in the forthcoming general elections.
