2023 election: A fight  to safeguard Nigeria’s soul -Tinubu

Ibrahim Quadri, Obiorah Ifoh , Victory Orimemi And Daniel Dauda

 

The presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Tuesday said the 2023 election is a fight to define the soul of the nation and to determine the Nigerians’ collective fate.

 

Tinubu also reaffirmed his commitment to progressive good governance that will yield dividends for the masses.

 

He made the remarks in Jos, Plateau State during the flag-off of his nationwide presidential campaign.

 

The former Lagos Governor assured Nigerians that, unlike other parties either dwelling on a fruitless past or a tomorrow of fantasies, his administration hopes to chart the course of progress already started by the Buhari administration.

 

Addressing a large crowd of party faithful and supporters from all over the country, Tinubu said: “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 toward our approved destination — an even better Nigeria. This is what the election is truly about.’’

 

He added: “We, the APC and the Tinubu/Shettima team, seek to make permanent a covenant of progressive good governance with the people.

 

“We shall build on progress in the agricultural sector by establishing commodity boards guaranteeing minimal prices for strategic crops.

 

“We shall create agricultural and industrial hubs in all zones.

 

“You shall also see water catchment and irrigation systems to help farming while mitigating the dire effects of drought and flooding brought about by a changing climate.

 

“We will encourage urban employment through a national industrial plan that employs a series of measures including tax and employment credits.

 

“We will deepen the knowledge economy. Millions of the tech savvy, innovative youth will benefit as will our overall economy. talented youth will find a place in our government.

 

“We will bring greater power through natural gas and reasonable reform of the entire power sector.

 

“Our government will continue the infrastructural expansion so the overall economy may continue to expand in lockstep.

 

“Most importantly, I will give utmost priority to extinguishing terrorists and violent criminals. We shall augment our military, police and security personnel while providing them with better tactical communication and mobility. We will employ hi-tech aerial surveillance to track and attack these menaces.

 

“These evil forces seek to destroy our democratic way of life. I have news for them. We will defeat their destructive way of life. They shall be utterly defeated and vanquished from our soil.”

 

Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari, Tuesday joined capacity crowd at the Jos township stadium in endorsing the Tinubu-Shettima ticket, the flag bearers of the All Progressives Congress, APC in the 2023 presidential contest, urging party members to march to deliver the candidates now that the party has decided.

 

But the President at a visit to the Gbong Gwom Jos, Da Jacob Gyang Buba reiterated his earlier commitment to ensuring that every vote counts. “No election winner will be denied his mandate, irrespective of the party to which they belonged,” apparently in response to the Campaign Director-General, Governor Simon Lalong who announced the intention to recreate the SDP-Moshood Abiola historic victory in 1993 in a campaign that took off in the same city 3o years ago. That election victory was annulled by the military.

 

In handing the APC flag to the candidate at the tumultuous occasion, President Buhari said the country needed a man like Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, urging the party faithful to campaign on issues and the abilities of our candidate and his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima.

 

The President reiterated his earlier assurances that he will be at the forefront of this campaign because of his belief in the party.

 

The President said it is only the APC that can steer Nigeria to fulfill its historic purpose adding that working together with the leadership of the party, the campaign council, and its teeming supporters, the goal will be achieved.

 

The Chairman of the party, Senator Adamu led other party stalwarts, including Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to  call on Nigerians to vote for the APC ticket which is the surest way to the prosperity for the country.

 

However, The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said the prayer by the embattled Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for God’s blessing on the party further confirms his innermost conviction that the PDP represents the hope and aspiration of majority of Nigerians for a secure, prosperous future under a united country

 

National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba in a statement said the fact that Asiwaju Tinubu made the prayer during his Presidential Campaign Flag-off in Jos, Plateau State is a pointer that it was not a slip of tongue but a divine proclamation that the hope for Nigeria, which he harped on can only come from the PDP.

 

He said, “It is instructive to note that the APC Presidential Candidate had earlier in his address, admitted that Nigerians were “in distress” under his failed APC but that hope is on the way.

 

“Since Asiwaju Tinubu’s prophetic blessing on the PDP, our Party has been receiving flurries of calls, solidarity messages and visits from key members of the APC, who believe that his prayer is a divine act of God to point the nation to the right direction.

 

“It is apparent that Asiwaju Tinubu was speaking under the ostensible weight of the recent revelation of his indictment for narcotic trafficking which has become a huge burden from which he cannot extricate himself and for which he has lost all moral and legitimate capacity to occupy the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

 

“This perhaps explains why Asiwaju Tinubu was incoherent and had no concrete message to Nigerians at the Flag-off of his campaign.

 

“It was pathetic as Nigerians watched with pity as the APC Presidential Candidate who is dazed by the intimidating credentials and popularity of the PDP Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar, could not articulate any solution to the myriad of problems brought upon our nation by the failed APC which he boasted of having installed and superintends over as national leader.

 

“Asiwaju Tinubu could not proffer any solution or idea to the challenges of insecurity, disunity, unabated killings, rising unemployment, tumbling Naira, collapsing economy with unprecedented debts of over N40 trillion arising from summersaulting macro-economic policies of his failed and corrupt APC government.

 

“The PDP counsels the APC to note that Nigerians are not ready to listen to a Presidential candidate like Asiwaju Tinubu, who continues to engage in insults, vituperations and uncontrolled outburst rather than focus on issue-based campaign.

 

“The APC Presidential Candidate should be more concerned with his narcotic indictment and inconsistencies in his personal biodata of name, age, ancestry, education and record of work which Nigerians have the right to know.

 

“Having prayed for the PDP as the hope of the nation, Nigerians expect Asiwaju Tinubu to have the courage to admit the fact that are already in the public domain, apologize to the nation and withdraw from the race.”

 

As. APC rally kicks off, A member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon Sobur Olayiwola Olawale, popularly called Omititi, has been reported to have died after he slumped while returning from the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign rally kick-off in Jos, Plateau State.

 

Olawale was the Chairman, House Committee on Local Government and Community Affairs before his death.

 

As gathered, the lawmaker, who represents Mushin II, was said to be rushing with his colleagues to board their flight back home when he suddenly slumped at the airport in Jos, and all efforts to resuscitate him proved abortive.

 

Members of the Lagos APC that attended the campaign rally flagged off by President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday narrated that Olawale, who celebrated his 58th birthday barely eight months ago, did not show any sign of sickness before he slumped and was pronounced dead by medical experts.

 

The deceased lawmaker recently participated in a novelty football match played to celebrate the Speaker’s 50th birthday anniversary where he was the goalkeeper and saved many goal-bound shots for his team.