Bola Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar
The All Progressives Congress (APC) Thursday named Plateau state Governor Simon Lalong as the Director-General of its presidential campaign for the 2023 elections.
APC National Chairman Senator Abdullahi Adamu said this while briefing State House correspondents after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja.
The APC chairman was accompanied to the State House by the presidential candidate of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima.
He said Minister of State for Labour and Employment Festus Keyamo (SAN), was appointed the interim spokesperson for the APC presidential campaign council.
Answering a question on how the party arrived at the choice of Governor Lalong as the Director-General of the party, the APC chairman said it was based on his ability to deliver.
He said the party’s Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket for the 2023 elections is a positive development for the country’s politics.
“Yes, we have been hearing concerns being expressed. In the APC, we believe very strongly that no matter what description, no matter what faith you will associate with any one of our candidates, we are first and foremost Nigerians.
“There is no doubt in the fact that we have people whose stock trade is on some of these religious issues.
Just like you have people expressing fears or concerns about a Muslim-Muslim ticket, there are Christians that welcome it as a positive development in Nigerian politics. They are Nigerians,” he said.
The APC chairman said the party recognised the concerns and would put them to rest before the election which is seven months away.
Adamu said: “We are extremely sensitive to some of these sensitivities of fellow Nigerians or fellow members of our party. But the fact of the matter is, one issue does not determine a candidate or determine victory.
“The party has taken a very careful deep look at the Nigerian situation and the political space. And we believe very strongly that notwithstanding the expression that we’re hearing, we will be working on amicable solutions to the sentiment and we’re very sure by the grace of God we’ll put them to rest before the elections.”
Also speaking, the vice presidential candidate, Senator Shettima, said the same-faith arguments were the machinations of a petrified opposition.
Citing the Ribadu-Bafarawa presidential ticket of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the 2011 general elections, Shettima urged Nigerians to focus on issues and not the faith of the candidates.
“In 2011, the presidential candidate and the vice-presidential candidate of the ACN. Both of them were Muslims. Nobody raised an eyebrow. Now, the opposition has seen a winning combination and they are petrified, deep down to the marrow of their bones.
“We will not trade in insults, lies and mischiefs. We have established a track record of excellence. Let our opponents show what they have done in their respective states. Ladies and gentlemen, let’s discuss issues.
“How to propel this nation to greatness is much more important than playing on the sentiments of Nigerians. Poverty knows no religion or ethnicity, insecurity knows no religion or ethnicity,” he said.
…TSO’s coordinator too
In a related development, the Tinubu Support Organisation (TSO) has unveiled Hajiya Mariam Buhari as new national coordinator.
The group also announced Mrs. Ayodele Fatunsin as the new deputy national coordinator.Announcing the new appointments Thursday in Abuja, TSO’s national secretary, Otunba Gboyega Bada said: “Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is the political spirit, the moving force that every political party reckons with it. He is the easiest product for us to market. As of today in the present-day Nigerian democracy, the first person you talk about is Asiwaju. He is a political strategist; he is a builder of men, a financial guru.”
Eulogising the leadership acumen of the APC flag bearer, Bada said:”There is no other person than the Jagaban of Africa who has touched the lives of many, not only in Lagos but across and beyond the country and that is why APC decided to designate him as the National Leader. If you mention the relevance of anybody in politics, it is to the people.
“If you have any issues in Borno, Asiwaju will ask you to go and meet so so people, the same thing in the east, the same thing in the west. So, he has that capacity and a strong political force; political spirit in politics.”
The TSO leader further said ahead of next year’s election, the group had carried out a restructuring that would enhance the performance and delivery of the presidential aspiration of Tinubu as President Muhammadu Buhari’s successor.
Announcing the new leaders of the group, Bada said: “Today, we decided to have a sort of restructuring to enhance our performance. We must increase our communication within and outside the organisation, and our collaboration with other groups propagating the emergence of our principal as the next President of Nigeria.
“In this regard, we now agree that a small restructure and the appointment of a National Coordinator and a Deputy National Coordinator is the only thing that has changed.
“There is a unanimous decision that Hajiya Mariam Buhari, wife of the Deputy Governor of Katsina State be appointed as the National Coordinator. We need someone who has that capacity, who can move, who has unhindered access not only to our principals but to all regions, leaders in APC and other groups because in the Tinubu Support Organisation, we are looking for voters; voters where we can find and that is the reason for appointing her as the National Coordinator.
“We went further to agree that another woman is appointed too, from the south as Deputy National Coordinator. Let me also say that because of the exigency of the situation now we have to move TSO for better performance. The name of the Deputy national coordinator Mrs Ayodele Fatunsin.”
Accepting her appointment, Hajiya Buhari said: “I have been the northwest Coordinator of President Muhamadu Buhari in 2015 where I played a vital role. I worked and I have the recommendation, I have credibility and I have the result for then. So, this time around too, I am sure, I am capable to bring out massive results and massive votes for Bola Ahmed Tinubu In sha Allah.”
On her plan to deliver North-west, Buhari said: “Before the appointment today, I have already put together my structure for the campaign. I assure you and I have 100 per cent assurance for all Nigerians that North-west zone, we are going to deliver Asiwaju by the grace of God.
My structure is already on the ground, I have gone far. I have reached the entire North-west zone. I compiled my structure both with the challenge of insecurity but In sha Allah we are going to succeed by the grace of Almighty Allah.”
Atiku’s team
Also, the PDP presidential candidate, former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has appointed Senator Dino Melaye and Dr. Daniel Bwala as his campaign spokespersons. Bwala, a former APC chieftain joined the PDP last week.
A statement Thursday by Atiku’s Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, said the two appointments took immediate effect.
The statement partly read: “Malaye is a politician and a member of the 8th Senate, who represented Kogi West Senatorial district. He hails from Ayetoro Gbede in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State.
“Bwala, on the other hand, is a legal practitioner, politician and public affairs analyst. He hails from Borno State.”
Osun, Oyo prelude to PDP victory – Ayu Meanwhile, PDP National Chairman Senator Iyorchia Ayu has said with the party’s control of Osun and Oyo states, the chances of its presidential candidate in the 2023 election has become brighter.Ayu stated this Thursday at the meeting of the party’s national working committee (NWC) with former national publicity secretaries, zonal, state publicity secretaries and other stakeholders in Abuja.
He stressed the need for the party to maintain relationship formed on realities with the Nigerian people, adding that “the Nigerian people as long as we continue to do the right things, they will believe us and they will definitely give us their mandate.
“We try to convince Nigeria people of the disgusting realities that they find themselves in, thanks to the APC and all the lies they told against the PDP.”
“I think that message is getting through by the series of elections we’ve gone through. The elections in Abuja in the six area councils, people voted massively for the PDP.
“The elections in Ekiti and Osun, again, it was clear that the preferred party that the Nigerian people want to take over power next year is still the PDP. This is not based on lies, it is based on realities. “It’s based on the reality of these two states elections Ekiti and Osun, never mind we had a hiccup in Ekiti for reasons which many Nigerians and party members know, we still keyed in on a very important state of Osun.
“This means we now control the heartland of the Southwest. We control both Osun and Oyo, and if you control the heartland of the Southwest, you are likely to win in the rest of the Southwest in Ondo, in Ogun and of course the big prize in Lagos,” he said.
He urged the party publicity secretaries at all levels to convey to Nigerians the failure of the APC-led administrations.
“We are definitely going to win the next election, we’ll increase the number of governors, we’ll control the National Assembly, House of Representatives, most state houses of assembly and of course the big price friends, we shall return to the Villa,” he added.
APC gained power via lies – Ologunagba
Earlier in his remarks, PDP National Publicity Secretary Debo Ologunagba had said the APC came to power through propaganda and lies.
Ologunagba who stressed the need for unity to defeat the lies of APC, said: “We believe that together we can pilot the affairs of this party, and of course our nation by ensuring that we have this conversation.”
He further said: “We came out with the mandate that we will as a party confront and engage in conversation war with the liars, the liars of the APC. “From that moment, we directed our communication in ensuring that the communication that we have is to expose the lies of the APC with which they hoodwinked Nigeria in 2014.”
Ex-Bauchi dep gov Katagum, others join PDP
In a related development, a former deputy governor in the immediate past APC government in Bauchi state, Audu Sule Katagum, alongside commissioners and other aides Thursday visited Governor Bala Mohammed to announce their official defection from APC to PDP.
Governor Bala, who received the defectors expressed gratitude to them for finding it worthy to dump their former party and joining the ruling PDP in the state.
Reacting to the development, the PDP chairman in the state, Hamza Koshe Akuyam, welcomed the defectors to PDP, expressing the confidence that their coming would add value to the successful victory of the party in the next year’s general elections in the state.
“We are grateful to Almighty Allah for this day which is historic to us, and it means a lot to us as PDP party in Bauchi state,” Akuyam said.
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