Ex-Lagos governor, governorship, National Assembly standard bearers brainstorm
All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential standard bearer Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu yesterday spoke on how the ruling party can win next month’s election.
He said candidates for president, governor, National Assembly and Houses of Assembly must imbibe team spirit and subscribe to the strategy of hardwork to sweep the polls.
The former Lagos governor, who held a crucial meeting with the candidates at the Presidential Campaign Headquarters in Abuja, said: “We must not fail party members who gave us tickets.”
The meeting, which attracted a large number of flagbeares, was attended by Tinubu’s running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima, the party’s National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, Senate President Ahmed Lawan, House of Representatives Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila, APC National Secretary Senator Iyiola Omisore, Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege and members of the National Working Committee (NWC) and Presidential Campaign Council (PCC).
Others at the meeting were the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, Governors Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa State), Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa) and Simon Lalong (Plateau); PCC Deputy Director General (Admin), Hadiza Bala Usman, PCC Deputy Director-General (Operations), Adams Oshiomole, PCC Secretary, James Faleke, former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, Senate Chief Whip, Sen. Orji Uzor Kalu, former Ogun State Governor Gbenga Daniel and former Nasarawa State Governor Tanko Al’Makura.
Almakura told reporters that the strategic meeting was successful, adding that the candidates displayed a rare enthusiasm which showed that the party was strong enough to achieve huge successes at the polls.
Faleke, who also spoke with reporters after the parley, debunked the rumour of a frosty relationship between some governors and candidates.
Emphasising the significance of the February and March polls, the eminent politician said the candidates cannot afford to disappoint the party that honoured them with the flags.
Tinubu said Nigerians were just recovering from what he described as “many unproductive years of the former Peoples Democratic Party’s government,” adding that they expected a new lease of life from the candidates.
He said: “I am pleased to meet with you today because in you I see our party’s hope and path to success. In you I see the hope of historic national progress as well.
“As so often in life, victory is not a cause for rest or celebration. It is a call to a greater challenge and harder toil. Thus, you all have won the primaries, but now must climb the higher mountain called the general elections.”
The presidential candidate hailed the flagbearers for their contributions, trust and fidelity to the vision and mission, which had shaped the growth and development of the platform.
He said: “We formed the APC, not just to be another political party. We formed it as a champion of the people to rescue democracy from the ravages of the PDP who boasted of ruling the nation for 60 years.
“We formed this party to rescue the people and their collective prosperity from the avarice and greed of an elite that will devour the nation’s God-given endowment if we allow such people back into power. As those flying our party’s flag, we carry a heavy burden on our shoulders.
“We have the mandate to deliver the party to victory so that we may protect Nigeria from those who would devour all of its fruits.
“The party has placed its trust in us. Democratic victory in the coming elections is a task we must accomplish.”
Urging the candidates to go to the polls the party’s candidates to go to the polls on February 25 and March 11 with a united front, Tinubu said a collective work will produced desired results.
He promised to work with them while also seeking their support for his bid to serve Nigeria in the highest office.
Tinubu said: “But winning takes us working as a united force. We have to act like the broom, the symbol of our party. A stick cannot clean any dirt but coming together under the band as one, we can sweep aside all the bad and wrong things that impede our nation’s growth and development.
“As individuals we must strive to win our respective elections. But that is not enough. We have to work together to deliver everyone contesting in our party. The presidential election, for example, is not solely about Bola Ahmed Tinubu. It is your project as well. Your election is equally my project.”
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He added: “We need each other. Whatever position you are contesting, you need me as much as I need you. If I work for you, I am helping myself; if you mobilize for me, you are working for yourself at the same time. Our individual and collective fates are one.
“Let us win and rise together. This is as it should be.
“I therefore, rededicate myself to the victory of you all just as I do for myself. As you can see, They call me weak, but I am canvassing back and forth and, in every corner, and space of the nation. My opponents are not. I am outworking them because this election is a great mission for me, much more than my personal ambition.
“I too ask you all to re-dedicate yourself to the cause of the party and the future of the nation. I cannot be everywhere, no one can.”
“Our strength lies in our number and our spread. Having you across the length spread of this country makes me comfortable. I am working round the clock for our collective victory. We all should not rest until the entire election is over and victory is ours.”
Faleke told reporters that there is cordial relations between governors and governorship candidates.
He said: “The relationship with the governors has been fantastic. Nobody should listen to those lies about any rift. If they (the opposition) are bold enough, let them say it. They are the ones that have problems like the G-5, G-2, G-1.”
Shedding light on the meeting, the PCC Secretary described it as “a relationship meeting between our candidates and the Presidential Campaign Council” organised to get first-hand information from candidates from various states.
Faleke added: “We were able to extract the determination of everybody to work for the success of the party. From our interactions with the candidates, I can assure Nigerians that we are winning this election. As for the challenges they relayed to us that they are facing, it is an internal issue we will handle them internally.”
However, Faleke acknowledged the challenges posed by multiple candidacy in some constituencies.
He said: “We have some candidates challenged by other aspirants while others have court judgement, but as far as INEC list is concerned, we are going to deal with the INEC list. We are not dealing with a party list this time around. We already have the INEC list in our custody.
“We have cases of somebody winning at the court of Appeal, but the loser who appealed to Supreme Court wants us to stay action because of the appeal. But, we have told them that the law does not operate that way. We have made it clear to them that the law says that the man with substantive judgement is allowed.”
<<The Nation>