Masari: Katsina Will Deliver 2.5m Votes to Buhari in 2019

Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja

Katsina State Governor, Aminu Masari, thursday in Abuja boasted that the state would deliver 2.5 million votes to President Muhammadu Buhari at the 2019 presidential election.

Masari, who made the declaration while answering questions from journalists after meeting the president in the State House, said whereas Katsina State gave the president 1.5 million votes in 2015, it will top it with additional 1 million votes in 2019.

“The people of Katsina are 100 percent behind President Buhari and they will continue to support him even after the 2019 elections.

“We expect this based on the figures coming out of the registered voters to give him nothing less than 70 to 80 percent.

“We don’t have the figures now because they have completed additional registration.

“We are not talking about the last exercise that led to the 2015 election when he got almost 1.5 million votes from the state.

So, we expect that by 2019, we will be able to give him additional 1 million votes making it not less than 2.5 million votes,” he said.

On the raging issue of direct and indirect primaries in the All Progressives Congress (APC), the governor dismissed the insinuation that it is a hot matter.

According to him, there is nothing contentious about it because whatever option adopted, whether direct, indirect primaries or consensus option, it is adequately provided for in the party’s constitution and hence, is a non-issue.

Masari said: “It is not a hot cake. First of all, let me say from all the states that we have read and heard from, Lagos, Kano and Niger are the only states that have opted for direct primaries in a country of 36 states plus FCT.

“I think it shouldn’t be a contentious issue.

“In fact, the constitution of the party is very clear. There is nothing contentious in this. The party constitution recognises direct, consensus and indirect primaries. “Therefore, whichever method is adopted, nobody is breaching the constitution of the party. So, what is the big deal about it?”