Presidential contest between Tinubu, Obi, says Smart Adeyemi

 

joins Kogi guber race

.Tinubu ‘ll win landslide, without re-run – APC Diaspora Director

Obiora Ifoh, Abuja

 

 

Senator representing Kogi West, Smart Adeyemi, Monday said the 2023 presidential contest is a two-horse race between APC presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his Labour Party counterpart, Mr Peter Obi.

 

Senator Adeyemi stated this Monday while addressing a press conference at APC national secretariat after picking his governoship form to contest the Kogi gubernatorial poll slated for November 11, 2023.

 

The former national president of Nigerian Union of Journalists, NUJ, hailed the 19 Northern APC governors for insisting that power must shift to the South.

 

“Northern governors in the APC insisted on power shift to save Nigeria from crisis. History will forever be kind to them. This election is between Asíwájú and Obi. Atiku is not in the race. Atiku cannot be in the race,” he said.

 

Speaking on the naira redesign policy, he said: “They brought this redesigning of our currency to ridicule APC. Asíwájú creates wealth. Atiku sold our wealth and resources. I pity Peter Obi because politics is it the way you are seeing it. Just yesterday, the entire Labour Party structure in the Northwest collapsed its structure for the APC. So, how is he going to win election? Maybe he is a man for the future but on this election, the strength is not there. It is beyond street politics. I am from Kogi. There is no Labour Party presence in my constituency. Winning election is about strategic thinking and planning not about talking too muc

 

“I am supporting Asíwájú and Shettima not because they are APC but because of their past records and down contemporary issues in the Nigerian nation.

 

“We must commend the Northern Governors for supporting power shift to the South.

 

“Are you aware that Emefiele aspired for the presidency? When he lost out, he felt he had out in so much money in politics. So he wanted a cover and so he brought his cousin, Gov. Okowa to come and contest election and he bankrolled them. What audacity will a person (Atiku) who wants to be president of Nigeria ignore 5 of his own party governors? The audacity was not out of courage. The CBN governor should explain the role he played in the PDP convention and the emergence of Okowa. This is why Atiku cannot also remove the party chairman, Ayu because all of them were involved in the discussions with Emefiele which brought in Okowa.

 

“The Naira redesign was a calculated attempt to ridicule the APC government and manipulate the people to vote for the PDP but Nigerians are wiser today. They now know why you are having this problem. Why do you think a ruling party will work against the interest of the people who we are asking to reelect us?

 

“Why will anybody ask you to vote for Atiku? Was he not in charge of privatisation? Was he not the one who sold out assets to non performing companies? All those who do not know the history will be shouting Atiku. Atiku is not in the equation.

 

Meanwhile, the Director of Diaspora Directorate of All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council APC-PCC, Ade Omole, has expressed confidence that APC presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu will win Saturday’s poll without any need for a re-run.

 

Omole assured that by 6pm on Saturday evening, the Tinubu would have been declared president-elect.

 

“I strongly believe that by 6p.m on Saturday, the 25th of February, we will be celebrating the election. Remember we can actually view the result in real time online, Yes! INEC may still take their time because they have to do the collation obviously officially, but I strongly believe that this election would be done and dusted by 6pm.

 

“Like I mentioned earlier on, you need to see the feedback from the people. We were at the flag off in Jost, I was in Kano, I was in Minna, I was in Borno, you need to see the response from Nigerians. They just can’t wait. I don’t see any runoff in this election and I believe that by 6pm, we will be done and dusted.

 

“Obviously, our principal is head and shoulder above any other person out there and Nigerians have actually responded well and I’m sure that they will come out en masse to vote for him

 

“Not all the all 1.6 millions Nigerians in diaspora with PVCs would surely come in but at least some of them are here and they are all voting for our principal, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

 

“Probably on Monday, we would be back here and I’m going to refer to this day that I said that we will be done by 6p.m,” he said.

However,The Bola Tinubu Support Organisation in United Kingdom (BTSO UK) says the APC Presidential Candidate, Sen. Bola Tinubu remains an arbiter of a new Nigeria.

Mr Kunle Adewumi, Political Head, BTSO UK, said this while distributing souvenirs to some party loyalists on Monday in Lagos.

The group, under the leadership of Mr Ade Adeshina and with professionals from all walks of life, also doled out campaign materials to promote the candidature of the former Lagos State governor.

Adewumi, said that the group believed in Nigeria’s emancipation, adding that the belief and trust in Tinubu are not momentary.

He said their belief was based on the track record of the APC presidential candidate’s leadership prowess, vision, action, change and identification as well as deployment of professionals and also “putting round pegs in round holes”.

“We believe that what Tinubu did at state level in Lagos, he is able to do more at the national level for Nigeria.

“Today, we want to further show our unflinching support for Bola Tinubu, by distributing these souvenirs to supporters and believers of “Renewed Hope”, which is the mantra of our principal.

“The members of executive of BTSO UK believe this will go a long way  to encourage electorates to troop out in their millions to vote APC and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the polls on Saturday.

“We also hope that this gesture will solidify the recognition of BTSO UK as a strong support group for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Campaign Committee (PCC) Headquarters.

“Between now and the election, BTSO UK will show further support to reach out to at least 100 million people digitally to vote Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu en-masse.

“We believe this will ensure landslide victory for APC at the polls,” he said.

Adewumi noted that BTSO UK had established structure of governance in the United Kingdom, with men and women saddled with responsibilities of offices to actualise its objective to support Tinubu to become the President.

According to him, BTSO UK is established in Nigeria through its grassroots movement across the entire Southwest of Nigeria with operational base in Lagos.

He said that BTSO UK, as recognised and registered official support organisation for Tinubu by the National APC Secretariat, had identified committed men and women on ground to propagate our objectives and mission at the grassroots.

Adeshina said the group had presence in the cyberspace and social media, noting that ‘it is a movement and self-funded by committed members of its executive”.

“This is a show of belief we have in Asiwaju to be the next President of Nigeria. From the funds raised by members of BTSO UK and executives, we have embarked on different projects,” he said.

Adeshina said they had been supporting Tinubu’s ambition since 2019 because they believed in his leadership ideals, capacity development and expressed confidence in the APC presidential victory at the polls.

He said, “compared to other contenders, Tinubu is way ahead. This is in terms of capacity and pedigree.

“With a long list of achievements, we are confident that all across the country from the North, down to the South, East and West, Tinubu will come out tops and he will replicate what he had done in Lagos,” he said.