The All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has thrown a moral challenge to his major contender and the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), former Vice Atiku Abubakar, asking him to reciprocate the 2007 gesture having backed his candidature for the same office on the Action Congress(AC) platform.
Tinubu spoke Monday in Kaduna at an interactive session with the Arewa Joint Committee (AJC) held at the Arewa House, describing himself as a pan-Nigerian, having crisscrossed the length and breadth of the country.
At a point during the visit, the two top candidates met at the Kaduna Airport during which they exchanged banters to the admiration of Tinubu’s running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima, PDP national chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu and a host of other chieftains of the two political parties.
Addressing the AJC gathering in a veiled reference to Atiku, he said: “You (apparently referring to Atiku) started from Uyo and now ended up in Kaduna and you are speaking to the North that you are the right candidate for the North; how do we reconcile that? You have lost the election.”
“It’s payback time. Let Atiku endorse me instead of campaigning in Kaduna. I supported him in 2007,” he added.
Putting himself before the gathering comprising the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Northern Elders Forum(NEF), Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation(SABMF), Jamiyyar Matan Arewa (JMA), Center for Historical Development Research (Arewa House) as well as the Arewa Research and Documentation Project(ARDP), the ex-Lagos governor said: “I am one of you. Yes. I am a city boy from Lagos.”
To further back up his position, the APC flag bearer recited the old National Anthem ‘…Though tribes and tongue may differ…’ saying he is not an ethnic champion.
His plans
Unveiling his agenda before the gathering, Tinubu said his government would ensure “a rag-tag bandit will not defeat us. We will defeat them.”
He promised to mobilise all assets within “our national power” to secure Nigeria.
“As you are aware, security is a function of resources. I am committed to mobilising all assets within our national power to secure Nigeria.
“We did this in Lagos through many initiatives, especially the Security Trust Fund, through which we addressed many needs of our security forces which helped to sanitise Lagos state.
“As you may recall, when I assumed office as governor in 1999, the situation I met was basically a case of banditry where urban gangs ruled the streets.
“I returned law and order, tamed what could have been a huge ethnic war and made Lagos one of the safest states in Nigeria. I will replicate that across the country,” said the former lawmaker.
“As I said when I chaired the Sardauna Memorial Lecture, last year, I have a solemn feeling of responsibility and duty to our country every time I am here. Standing here evokes memories of a great leader and a father of this nation, the Late Sir Ahmadu Bello, the late Sardauna of Sokoto. The contributions of the Sardauna to nation-building remain a reference point for us all. He was a visionary builder of men and institutions.
“The dream of Sardauna, and indeed that of our other great leaders such as Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe and our first and only prime minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa was for one indivisible and prosperous nation built on shared values of patriotism, equity, justice and brotherhood.
“It is therefore no coincidence that at Independence this vision was clearly laid out and encapsulated in our first National Anthem. It says: ‘Though tribes and tongue may differ, in brotherhood we stand.’
“This is a strong statement which acknowledges our diversity, and, therefore, existence of different perspectives and interests, and how that should not stand on the path of our unity as brothers.
“The framers of this anthem, God rest their souls, will cringe to know that 62 years after, someone would come to this hallowed platform to campaign on the basis of tribe or where others come from.
“The dream of those forefathers, ladies and gentlemen, was for a nation ‘Where no man is oppressed’, a nation ‘with peace and plenty’, and these – unity in diversity, peace and prosperity – are the fulcrum of my mission in this contest. They also form the bulk of my address to you this afternoon, in line with the areas the organisers wanted me to address,” Tinubu said.
ECONOMY
On economy, he said: “Our economic plan would utilize the vast natural resources we have, through strategic investment in infrastructure which will lead to the diversification of the economy and wealth creation across the entire country. We will pay attention to modern economic drivers such as the digital economy, creative industries, sports and entertainment sectors for the benefit of our young people.
“The APC Federal Government has taken several measures to build infrastructure and improve the ease of doing business across the country. This has been complemented by the efforts of some of our states to attract investments in diverse sectors of the economy.”
The event was attended by leaders from Northern Nigeria across party lines, academics, civil society and youth organisations.
On Tinubu’s entourage were Kaduna state governor, Nasir El-Rufa, Director General Tinubu-Shettima Presidential Campaign Council Governor Solomon Lalong, Nasarawa state Governor Abdullahi Sule, Yobe state Governor Mai Bala Buni,Bello Matawalle of Zamfara state, former APC national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, and former Managing Director Nigeria Ports Authority(NPA) Hadiza Bala Usman.
I‘LL END BANDITRY – Atiku
Meanwhile, the PDP presidential candidate has promised to end banditry and revive moribund industries in Kaduna state, if elected as president in the 2023 general elections.
Addressing a mammoth crowd that gathered for the PDP presidential rally at the Kaduna Township Stadium, Monday, Atiku said: “Let me thank you for your support in 2019. You gave me the highest number of votes in 2019 and I believe you will do so this time around. I have come here on behalf of PDP to tell you if you vote for us, we will end insecurity in Kaduna. We will revive the industries in Kaduna in partnership with the private sector of Kaduna.”
Okowa, Tambuwal, Ayu
Also addressing the rally, Atiku’s running mate, and governor of Delta state, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, said the people of Southern Nigeria were ready to vote for PDP and Atiku come 2023 following the party’s success in the recent Osun state guber election.
“I thank God for the life of Atiku who has a solution to the problem we have in Nigeria. With Atiku as president, we should not go to bed hungry and he is ready to end insecurity in Northern Nigeria.
“Those of us in the South-south, South-east, South-west are ready to vote Atiku and the PDP. When we went to Osun, they said we wouldn’t win but we went there and we won in the home state of the APC presidential candidate. I’m happy with what I have seen here and I thank you for your support,” Okowa said.
Director General of PDP Presidential Campaign Council (PPCO) and Sokoto state Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal said efforts to throw a spanner in PDP’s campaign will fail.
“They do not want us to continue with our rallies because they are not prepared. They haven’t constituted their campaign council and so, they want to drag us back but we are moving on with our campaign. When Atiku gets into power by next year, all the factories will return insha Allah. His administration will ensure we invigorate our economy to have jobs and better life. I urge the people of Kaduna to come out in their millions to vote come February 2023,” he said.
In his remarks, the party’s national chairman, Senator Ayu, in reference to APC, said: “When they go low, we go high. They wanted to stop this rally, but they can’t. Whether they give us the venue or not, we will do our rally on the road and win. APC has failed. They don’t want us to recover this country and win. Let nobody deceive himself that we are going to lose. We are united and will win all our elections in Kaduna.”
At the rally were Edo state Governor Godwin Obaseki, former Cross River state Governor Liyel Imoke, former Osun state Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola, former Niger state Governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu, former Adamawa state Governor Boni Haruna, Senate Minority Leader Phillip Aduda, PDP National Organizing Secretary Umar Bature, PDP National Youth Leader Muhammad Suleiman Kadade, Kaduna state governorship candidate, Hon. Isa Ashiru Kudan, High Chief Raymond Dokpesi and members of the PDP National Working Committee (NWC).
