Presidential Election: Overconfidence, bad tactics shattered opposition, despite foreign support — Buhari

…Says APC worked hard, ‘blended confidence with caution’

…I will retire to Kaduna, he says

…Try, keep solving problems — Buhari tells Govs

Taking political comment on the outcome of the 2023 presid ential election, President Muhammadu Buhari, on Thursday, said although the opposition was able to curry support from outside the Country, yet it lost the race due to factors he identified as “overconfidence, complacency, and bad tactical moves.”

Buhari said while his party the ruling All Progressives Congress, (APC), was working hard to retain power in the recent elections, the combined opposition was a victim of overconfidence.

Buhari who spoke at his residence in the State House where he played host to the Progressive Governors Forum led by its Chairman, Governor Abubakar Bagudu of Kebbi State, said the opposition erred by fumbling songs of victory to foreign back-ups, at a time when it wasn’t clear victory was at its door step.

He said his party, rather worked hard and blended “confidence with caution” to secure victory, against trailing the part of the opposition.

“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 overconfidence, 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?” the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, quoted Buhari  in a statement he signed on Thursday titled ‘President Buhari: Opposition was victim of over confidence in last elections.’

Speaking in response to an issue raised by Governor Bagudu, who led the team of Progressives Governors Forum, President Buhari said “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?”

He charged the Progressive Governors to stick together and openly address issues among themselves.

“Try and keep solving problems. Be courageous to discuss them openly between yourselves. This is the best way to survive politically in Nigeria,” said the President.

He urged them to “have a programme to meet regularly and to discuss issues and how to maintain the Party nationwide.”

President Buhari spoke at length about his retirement proposal, saying that he intended to be at home in Daura for six months before moving eventually to Kaduna.

He thanked Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State 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 Chairman, Atiku Bagudu said the visit was ostensibly to say “Happy Sallah” to the President and to thank him for the leadership he had given to the Party and the nation.

This being their first visit since the elections, they congratulated the President on the Party’s victory in the presidential polls.

He said, “Congratulations, your Party won the Presidency, a majority in the Senate and for being the leading Party in the House of Representatives.

“These successes would not have happened without your support.

“History will remember you kindly. Around the world, the election is being celebrated because of the turbulence in the region and in the developing world, all courtesy of your leadership.

“We won by sheer hard work, the same thing you have always encouraged us to do.  We thank you immensely for everything,” he added.

The Governors in attendance in addition to the Governor of Kebbi were Governors from 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 also in attendance, as well as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha.

The 2023 presidential election was a keen contest among the APC, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP), with the APC taking the winner bag, while the PDP followed in second position and the LP trailed behind. The New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) came on a distant fourth on the roll.

The victory of the APC has, however, been challenged with pending suits lying before the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.