….warned that no political party should be underrated

By: Ango Don-Bally

KADUNA State Governorship Candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in Kaduna State, Senator Suleiman Othman Hunkuyi, has said with the way the political graph is being plotted, warming up to the 2023 general elections, it might be difficult to have a clear presidential winner in accordance with the electoral guidelines on the first ballot.

Hunkuyi, who represented Kaduna North in the 8th Assembly on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), said considering the strength of the APC, the NNPP, the People’s Democratic Party, the Labour Party and other small parties in the race for the coveted position, apart from winning simple majority, it would be difficult for a presidential candidate to win 25% of votes in 25 states of the federation, which is one of the conditions to be met by the winner of the presidential election, adding that this could lead to a run-off to determine the winner of the polls.

Speaking with selected journalists in Kaduna, Wednesday, the Gubernatorial hopeful  expressed the belief that now that the presidential candidates are being given religious and ethnic colouration, any of the presidential candidates securing 25 per cent in 25 states might be a herculean task in the first ballot.

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“It does not appear any party today in Nigeria, including NNPP may make it in the first election. There might have to be a runoff. Because the law requires some scores from the total votes cast, in a required minimum number of states apart from simple majority scored.

“I feel no one party, no one candidate may be able to make it and that is why the laws of elections permit for a re-run.

Hunkuyi who led Alhaji Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi under the PDP to victory in 1999 and Nasir Ahmed el-Rufai to win the Governorship election under APC in 2015, however warned that no political party big or small should be underrated as any of the parties could spring a surprise in the 2023 general elections in a free, fair and transparent election.

“So, for anyone to say, because NNPP may not make it, then, which Kaduna state gubernatorial candidate of New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Sen. Suleiman Othman Hunkuyi has stated that the first ballot may not provide clear winner of the 2023 presidential election, considering the strength of the parties and their presidential candidates.  may make it? Am talking from the background of the politics in Nigeria today.

“You see, PDP and APC as the biggest of them all, but try to plot the graph, and when you do it, try to do it dispassionately. We have 36 states and to win the election, you need 25 per cent of the votes in a minimum of 25 states. So, go ahead and count,” he said.

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