By Banji Ayoola
In continuation of his campaign tour round the country, All Progressives Congress Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, will be in Ondo State on Saturday, January 7, 2023 to meet with notable leaders of the state and the people about his aspiration.
He will hold a rally and a town hall meeting with the leaders where he is expected to formally present his programmes to the people of the state ahead of his contest for election as Nigeria’s next President in the scheduled February 25 Presidential Election.
Only on Tuesday, the former Lagos Governor was in Kano, where at a town hall meeting with prominent leaders in that state, he promised to be a caring leader to all and run an inclusive government if elected.
While welcoming Tinubu to the sunshine state, the South West Coordinator of the Asiwaju Tinubu/Shettima Coalition for Good Governance, ATSCGG., and Secretary of the Directorate of Labour of the APC.’s Presidential Campaign Council, PCC., Ambassador Sola Iji, in a statement signed on his behalf by the Onibudo of Ugboland, Chief ‘Wole Iroaye, enjoined the members of the Coalition in the state to troop out in their large numbers to “welcome Nigeria’s next President to our dear State”.
Besides, Iji, Nigeria’s former Ambassador to Togo; a close ally of Tinubu; a former Senatorial Aspirant in Ondo State; the Araba of Apoi and Igbobini Land in Ese-Odo Local Government Area of the South Senatorial District of Ondo State, urged the Coalition members to openly demonstrate their unflinching support and exemplary long term commitment and dedication to the Tinubu/Shettima presidential election project, for which they have been working earnestly round the state for many months.
The ex-envoy was also a former Alliance for Democracy’s candidate of Ilaje/Ese-Odo federal constituency; former APC gubernatorial aspirant in the state; ex-Ondo State chairman successively of the defunct AD, AC, and Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, which fused into APC; and former chairman, Kwara State ACN Caretaker committee.
Apart from Tinubu and his running mate, Kashim Shettima, personalities being expected at the rally include the party’s National Chairman, Senator Dr. Abdullahi Adamu; National DG. of the PCC., and Plateau State Governor, Barrister Simon Lalong; Deputy DG., Operations, and former Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, Secretary, PCC., Hon. James Faleke; Chairman of South West Governors and Ondo State Governor, His Excellency, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu, SAN; CON. Other Governors on the platform of the APC., Members of the National Assembly; and Other Members of the PCC.
Also being expected, according to the statement, are: the APC.’s Women Leader; the APC.’s Youth Leader, Members of the National Working Committee; Leaders and Members of the Party in Ondo State, among others.
On why the people of Ondo State and the Country at large should elect Tinubu as President, the ex-envoy said: “I hereby humbly call on our good people of Ondo State and the entire country to elect the most qualified of all the Presidential Candidates; a unique politician and builder of people and economy; a selfless leader who, in alliance with other exceptional leaders, like him, had put his life on the line during our Country’s darkest days to fight for the restoration of Democracy in our fatherland, which we are enjoying today; a dependable and trustworthy pillar of support in the struggle to ensure a Nigeria where all the citizens and residents, irrespective of religious, ethnic, social or whatever backgrounds, feel happy, safe and secure in any part of our Country, our own Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“It is my strong belief as it is that of other well meaning notable leaders across the land that Nigeria, our Dear Country, at this decisive moment, needs the best and most eminently qualified among the Candidates, to take over as President from May 29, 2023, when deep commitment to true nation building, unusual maturity, honesty, dedication, statesmanship, selflessness and indiscriminate personal sacrifices are highly needed in the man to whom all our diverse Peoples comprising over 250 ethnic groups across the states, will look up to full of hopes.
“This is a man of an unusual large heart; a man who is superlative in character and deed, in selflessness, honesty of purpose and patriotic zeal to build a new Nigeria for all citizens; a compassionate leader who had demonstrated unusual selflessness, courage and leadership by damning the consequences, sacrificing his comfort, freedom and all he had; and committing himself wholly to the protracted bloody pro democracy struggle, which eventually birthed the prevailing Fourth Republic.
“This is a leader, though materially comfortable, who, during his struggle to ensure the best for the people of Nigeria, voluntarily resolved to go on self-exile, where, unrelenting, he continued providing a deeply committed leadership to the heroic struggle for a Democratic Nigeria.”
Also, Iji, who recalled what he described as the most exemplary and wonderful manner Tinubu transformed the socio-economic landscape of Lagos State into Nigeria’s richest and most prosperous State, during his two-term tenure as the Governor, said that in like mannert the former Governor would transform Nigeria to Africa’s Best Economy and most formidable Regional Power and Voice among the comity of Nations if he becomes President.
