Crowd, APC stakeholders pass confidence vote on Tinubu’s re-election
_____________________________________________________________________
From Romanus Ugwu, who was in Kaduna
Kaduna State, venue of the presidential campaign flag-off, was agog with celebration, colours and a carnival-like atmosphere, as thousands of Nigerians from far and near grounded both vehicular and human traffic in the state to welcome President Bola Tinubu, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for next year’s presidential election.
Donning all manner of branded uniforms and outfits, the supporters had shut down all entrance roads into Kaduna Township Stadium, venue of the campaign rally, drumming, dancing and sitting beside the roads, waiting patiently for the arrival of President Tinubu.
While many of the supporters slept inside the stadium, others had arrived as early as 5.00am to beat the rush to gain entrance, just as several others lined the roads many kilometres to the stadium, initially parked to the brim.
Expectedly, security was top-notch as security agencies, numbering thousands, took over strategic points to the stadium, mounting several checkpoints and screening those jostling to gain entrance before allowing them in.
The intimidating crowd surged endlessly while thousands of supporters who wanted to be part of the historic event jostled to break the multiple security barriers.
Many of those who came to the stadium became angry and left the venue in disappointment after waiting endlessly for Mr President, as hunger and tiredness began to weigh them down over the failure of the organisers to provide sufficient food and drinks.
However, a sizeable number of the crowd endured the discomfort until President Tinubu finally made a triumphant entry into the stadium around 3.00pm.
Speaker after speaker, comprising the Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), Senator Abdulaziz Yari, the host governor, Uba Sani, Minister of Works, David Umahi, and Vice-President Kashim Shettima, among others, justified why President Tinubu deserves re-election.
The PCC DG said: “Mr President, we have seen what you have been doing. We have seen what is on the ground. If we talk about the economy, we know the state of the economy when you stepped into the leadership of this country.”
“Today, the total indices have changed completely to the advantage of Nigeria and other countries of the world. Mr President, I can enumerate at least a few: from the exchange rate, to the subsidy removal and many more.
“This is not all there is to the economy, but if you come to the trade balance, then we talk about politics, as in the 2023 election. I would like to be a student again, to be told how you did it, because we want the country.
“We Nigerians, at the head of this campaign, are going to campaign with our records. Our records are there. The infrastructure is there. What you did in health, education and human capital development is there. The students are there. The transparent cash and conditional cash transfers are also there for men and women,” Yari noted.
In his remarks, Governor Uba Sani said: “Mr President, your decisive interventions in transportation, education, healthcare, agriculture, security and human capital development have brought revival and truly renewed the hope of our people.
“Under your Excellency’s Renewed Hope Agenda, massive developmental interventions by the Federal Government have reached completion in Kaduna State and the North. Several others remain under construction or are passing through approval, funding and implementation. Each carries an obligation to deliver lasting public value.
“That is why today we are affirming our resolve as a people to massively come out in January 2027 to vote for continuity. We are voting for a promise keeper to continue with the good work he is already doing in Kaduna State and in general.”
The governor welcomed delegates to Kaduna State, describing it as the political and spiritual capital of Northern Nigeria. He paid tribute to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, and thanked them for their affection for Kaduna State and Northern Nigeria.
“To our First Lady, we offer heartfelt appreciation for bringing compassion and attention to the needs of women, children and vulnerable families. Leadership acquires its deepest meaning when people feel seen, heard and supported,” he said.
“In the last three and a half years, Mr President, and your dear wife, our First Lady, have shown Kaduna and indeed the North genuine love. We are truly proud as a people of Kaduna State and indeed Northern Nigeria.”
Continuing, Governor Sani recalled that on 22 December 2022, as candidate of the party, Tinubu dared to visit Birnin Gwari Local Government Area, then the epicentre of insecurity in the North-west, despite security advice against it.
“It was a journey that took us four hours from Kaduna to Birnin Gwari, and we went to Birnin Gwari with 27 armoured vehicles escorting you, Mr President, alongside our Vice-President and other members of our party.
“Mr President, today I can assure you that the two promises you made have been fulfilled.
“Number one, you promised that you were going to reconstruct the Kaduna-to-Birnin Gwari Road, a 123km road that had been abandoned for over 40 years. As we are speaking, N117bn has been released to the contractor, and the project is ongoing.
“Again, Mr President, you assured us that you would address the issue of insecurity along the corridor to Birnin Gwari. Today, you can travel to Birnin Gwari with your eyes closed without a single police escort, Mr President. That is progress.”
He also thanked the President for the Zaria-Soba and Pambegua roads, which Speaker, Hon Tajudeen Abbas, had clamoured for since 2011, noting that contractors have been mobilised and work is ongoing.
“Mr President, I want, on behalf of the people of Kaduna State, again to thank you for choosing Kaduna State to be the pilot state for the metropolitan red line project in Nigeria. A sum of $865m has been approved, and the contractor, Mota-Engil, informed me last week that it had mobilised $300m for the Kaduna Metropolitan Red Line, which is about a 50km corridor,” he said.
He added that the North-west has benefited to the tune of N84bn from NELFUND and other interventions, supporting children of the poor and underserved.
On the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Expressway, he said: “When I visited you recently, two years ago, I drew your attention, Mr President, to the fact that the Kaduna-Abuja-Kano Road was the most important road in Northern Nigeria. You assured us that you were going to pay the N740bn for the reconstruction.
“As we are speaking, Mr President, 95 per cent of the work has been completed. The Abuja-Kaduna Expressway connects 12 states in the North-west, North-central and North-east, as well as connecting Northern Nigeria to the southern part of Nigeria.”
He attributed the previous abandonment of the road to insecurity and funding, noting that residents now travel the Abuja route by road without cases of kidnapping.
Governor Sani dismissed calls to vote on regional grounds, challenging the so-called northern candidate to show a track record.
“When someone came to us and said we should vote for him simply because he is a Northerner, we asked him, ‘Can you show us a track record?’ Until this moment, the so-called northern candidate has not shown us his track record, Mr President. No track record.
“I dare say that even Mr Vice-President, sitting there, I was talking to him at the airport, and I told him history would remember him. I pointed out to him that, as Vice-President under you, more than 1,000 kilometres of roads have already been constructed in the northern part of Nigeria.
“Again, we asked the northern candidate, ‘Can you show us 200 kilometres of road that you were able to help the people of the North-east with while you were Vice-President?’ Till this moment, we have not seen one,” he said.
He said agriculture remains the mainstay of the economy and that no leader in Nigeria’s history has supported agricultural transformation as substantially as President Tinubu, based on statistics and data.
“At this juncture, I want to thank you, Mr President, and assure you that the people of Northern Nigeria will repay you with their votes. You have seen, Mr President, the people coming from the airport to the stadium. Some people will come out on 16 January to vote for you.
“The opposition have now upgraded their campaign from Facebook and Twitter to AI. So, I want to call the attention of our supporters to prepare, be watchful and be vigilant,” he added.
The post APC presidential campaign flag-off grounds Kaduna appeared first on The Sun Nigeria.