President Muhammadu Buhari has said the opposition parties lost the 2023 Presidential election owing to false hope, overconfidence and poor tactics.
Buhari disclosed this while receiving the Progressives’ Governors’ Forum-led by its Chairman, Governor Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State, at the State House.
He asserted that while the governing All Progressives’ Congress, APC, and it’s Presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, were working hard to retain power, the combined team of the opposition subjected themselves as victim of overconfidence.
According to a statement by his Media Aide, Garba Shehu, the President said, “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 tactics made them lose, plain and clear. This has created more problems in their camp. Why did they fail to remove us?”
In reaction to an issue raised by Bagudu, 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 asked.
Buhari however charged the Progressives’ 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,” he said.
He stressed that; “You (Governors) have a program to meet regularly and to discuss issues and how to maintain the party nationwide.”
In attendance were governors from Plateau, Imo, Kwara, Ekiti, Kaduna, Kogi, Lagos, Cross Rivers, Jigawa, Katsina, Ogun and Nasarawa States, in addition to Kebbi.
Others were Kano, Gombe, Borno and Ebonyi, represented by their Deputy Governors, as well as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha.