Former governor of Yobe State and prominent All Progressives Congress senator representing Yobe East,  Bukar Abba Ibrahim has slammed the ruling party, warning that the APC should not assume it can come out victorious in the 2019 election even with massive rigging.

The three-term serving senator who is also a founding member of the party, stated this over the weekend during a book launch marking his 70th birthday celebration in Abuja.

Senator Ibrahim who stressed that his dreams and hopes for a progressive nation under APC administration had been dashed warned that the ruling party should not place a bet on the full support of the North-East region in the 2019 general elections.

He explained the role he played to bring the North East under APC control, noting that the ruling party has not done what it promised to do as the present reality has shown that the APC was in no way better than the PDP it hopes to defeat.

His words: “The politics of the North East has always been different from the politics of the North West and it was under the APC that we all united for the first time. I began that first move for unity.

“My co-author, Sam Agha Egwu kept nagging me about the need to build a progressive coalition against the then very corrupt PDP. I took the matter to my friend Dr. Onu, who was then Chairman of ANPP, the party of the North East.

“We now reached out to the ACN, CPC and APGA. This finally led to the incredible merger called the APC that went on to defeat the PDP.

“When I began this process, I had in mind that progressives will be in power and will show Nigeria how to run a progressive nation. Without mincing words, as an elder statesman, I must say that my dreams and hopes have been dashed.

“We have certainly not done what I dreamed we will do and in many ways, we are not better than the PDP that we sought to displace. As we move towards the elections, I have to give a dire warning to the APC.

“Things are no longer the way they were in 2015 when we rode to power on a cloud of euphoria believing that things will change. Simply put, things have not changed and many things are worse and the people are bitter.

“We should not assume that we can win even with massive rigging. There are just certain things that progressive parties do and must be seen to do. We must be seen to obey the rule of law.

“We must respect the separation of powers and let the legislature make its independent decisions. The economy has gone down because of our actions and we are blaming the past too much rather than solving the present problems.

“I am going to give a dire warning. Let the North East not be taken for granted that we must support APC. Our interest in the North East has always been progressive and I will personally be watching for improvements in the APC.

“Improvements that will guarantee us victory such as respecting the rule of law and releasing political prisoners. If we are fighting corruption, let us fight every corrupt person and not select people in what may be seen as a one-sided witch hunt.

“I shall sit back and continue encouraging my party to do the right thing. But if we don’t, I still reserve the capacity to ask my people to go our separate ways and do what must be done for good governance to reign in Nigeria.”

The Senator, who said he was not seeking any elective position encouraged the youths to read his book as its contents would guide them to take power from the analogue and old politicians.

He warned the young people to note that the elders will not easily make or give way for them, urging them to go into politics and take power just like he did when he first ran for governor at the age of 42.