The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Monday, warned the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje and his party to stay away from Ondo State ahead of the November 16 governorship election.
The PDP’s rebuke was in reaction to a statement credited to the former Governor of Kano State on the scheduled election.
Ganduje had, during a meeting of the South-West Forum of APC held in Akure, Ondo State on Sunday, declared that the ruling party is ready to capture all the six states in the zone.
He urged the party leaders in the State to work for Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s victory in the election.
However, at a media briefing on Monday in Abuja, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, described Ganduje’s remarks as reckless and irresponsible.
He warned the APC not to get carried away with its victory in the September 21 governorship election in Edo State.
The spokesman insisted that the South-West can neither be bought nor captured by any group or individual.
Ologunagba said: “This is a warning. The people of South-West have a very rich history, a people who are very strong-willed, politically educated, and know what they want. Every student of history recognises clearly that the South-West has always been a bastion for democratic rights.
“So for anybody, Ganduje for that matter, to come into Ondo State and say those reckless things call for the attention of Nigerians and indeed international community that he is a threat to democracy. He should be careful about the West because he could be declared as a ‘personal non-grata’ in the South-West for this recklessness. The APC should stay away from Ondo State.
“The November 16 election in Ondo State is a different ball game entirely. The people of Ondo state are ready. They are set to vote for the PDP. You can’t cow or suppress them from whatever they believe in. So the APC should watch it, and they should know that we do not take threats and the idea of capture lightly. We’ve never been captured and we are not prisoners,” Ologunagba added.