From Gyang Bere, Jos
Nigeria’s President and Chairman, All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, Muhammadu Buhari, has assured the standard bearer, Ahmed Tinubu, of unalloyed support in the 2023 elections.
“We have come here to give our support to the APC presidential candidate, Ahmed Bola Tinubu. We are here to give him support and we will campaign for him throughout the campaign. I wish Ahmed Tinubu the best of luck in the next year presidential election,” Buhari said during the campaign flag off at the Rwang Pam Township Stadium, Jos, Plateau State, yesterday.
Meanwhile, Tinubu has said unlike other parties either dwelling on a fruitless past or a tomorrow of fantasies, his administration would chart the course of progress already started by the Buhari administration.
“We hereby reaffirm our commitment to progressive good governance and to the fruits that such governance can bring to this nation.
“February 2023 is more than an election. It is a fight to define the soul of the nation and to determine our collective fate. Do we adhere to the ideals of broadly shared prosperity, competence, peace, justice and compassion toward all? Or do we toss these ideals away, lashing ourselves to the divisive politics of the past or to those whose rantings show they cannot distinguish between fact and fantasy?
“One party wants to take us back to a past that never should have been. Another party wants to take us to a past that resides only in its candidate’s head. Neither the old road nor the fantasy road is good enough.
“Instead, we forge the wiser path towards our approved destination – an even better Nigeria. This is what the election is truly about.”
He promised to work with everyone for a progressive nation where a conducive atmosphere would be provided for businesses to strive. He also promised to build on the achievements of President Buhari, who he said performed well in the areas of infrastructure and laid solid foundation for development of agriculture and other sectors in the past seven years.
“We were insecure, we turned to retired Gen. Muhammadu Buhari and he embarked on rehabilitation, recovery and redeeming of Nigeria. He started by destroying the terrorists’ flags systematically, tactically and frontally and today there are no flags of strange military colours in any of our local governments in Nigeria. Nigeria was sinking but Buhari pulled us out and said that Nigeria will not sink in his time and in the time of the APC.”
The presidential candidate stated that the 2023 general election is a fight not to leave country to looters.
“We will never surrender to them to stop the efforts to clean the rot they left us in. We will assemble the best team to reverse the decay. We are determined to ensure that nobody will go to bed without food in their stomach. Buhari cares and we care too, instead of letting them distract us, we will follow our right path and ensure that we continue with the good work.”
He promised to continue the oil exploration in all frontiers in the basins and develop commercial oil found in Gombe State and Lake Chad Basin and also place high premium on youths and provide them with the needed energy to strive in the interest of peace and unity of the nation.
Tinubu said the PDP presidential candidate’s slogan of ‘Atikulated’ was a “wrong theory” while the ‘Obi-Dients’ slogan adopted by followers and supporters of the LP’s Peter Obi was a misnomer.
He said Obi live in Lagos where he (Tinubu) worked assiduously as Lagos State Governor to rebuild but does not know the road to his home in Anambra State.
He encouraged citizens to vote him based on his past track record and vowed to build on the legacies he bequeathed for the people of Lagos State. He said he will work to ensure that the security of the nation is restored and revamp the economy of the country for the prosperity of the citizens.
“We have formed an unbreakable team and we will work to provide security and development our economy for our prosperity. We will work deliberately to ensure that we have a progressive nation.
“We will build a nation where farmers will go to farm to cultivate food and export, a nation that will be productive for the betterment of our people.”
Tinubu’s running mate and former governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima said took over governance in 2015 when 27 local government areas in the state were in the hands of the Boko Haram.
Senator Abdullahi Adamu, stated that Buhari’s achievements surpassed those of his predecessors in terms of infrastructure and other areas.
“I ask you all to stand up and applaud Buhari for a job well done. Our party has performed creditably well, we promise change and we delivered change. We must not do anything that will stain the banner. It will stain when we fail to be good ambassadors and faithful servants of the party. We stain the banner when we do things that negate free, fair and credible elections.”
He said it would not do them any good if APC members failed to work hard for the success of the party.
“It is not over until it is over, until the trophy of victory is in our bag, we will not rest.”
Senate President Ahmed Lawan assured Buhari and Tinubu that all National Assembly members were committed to supporting their aspiration.
Director General of Tinubu/Shittima Presidential Campaign Council and Governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong assured Buhari and Tinubu that the APC would win more than two-third of National Assembly seats.
Governor of Kaduna State, Nasiru El-Rufai urged Nigerians to vote APC from top to bottom, saying after President Buhari is Tinubu while Cross River Governor, Ben Ayade and his Kogi State counterpart, Yahaya Bello enthused that Buhari would hand over power to Tinubu.
Lagos lawmaker slumps, dies in Jos
A member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, representing Mushin Constituency 2, Sobur Olayiwola Olawale, who was in the campaign flag-off train slumped and died.
The lawmaker, nicknamed ‘Omititi” was in Jos where he attended the APC’s presidential campaign flag-off.
He was said to have died on his way back to Lagos, but still within Jos metropolis.
The late Olawale was born in 1964 and represented Mushin Constituency II at the State House of Assembly.
There are reports that he participated in a novelty football match to celebrate the 50th birthday of the Speaker of the House, Mudashiru Obasa, where he played in the match as the goalkeeper.
His death has thrown the State House of Assembly into mourning.