As the campaign for the 2023 polls gather momentum, President Muhammadu Buhari has pledged to be at the forefront of campaign for presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to be elected as his successor.
He said despite the unfavourable circumstances of global economic downturns, the COVID-19 pandemic, and very low international oil prices resulting in low revenue, the APC-led government has ‘’managed to make Nigeria stable,’’ laying a solid foundation for progressive growth.
Buhari spoke at the unveiling of the Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) and the Action Plan of the APC standard bearer.
According to him, in the seven years journey as a government, the party has every reason to be proud of its achievements amid the inherited systemic corruption and local challenges of insecurity.
Explaining why he has elected to personally champion the campaign for Tinubu, the president said the former Lagos State governor would consolidate on the achievements of his administration, adding that the APC presidential candidate has the capacity, visionary leadership and track record to do more.
Buhari stated: ‘’It would be disastrous to allow a situation that will lead to the reversal of the progress our country has made. Let me add that I joyfully accept the position of the chairman of the campaign council we are unveiling today.
‘’Our candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is too well known for his capacity and can-do spirit. He stands tall in his track records as a democrat, a champion of the rule of law, a man at home in every part of our country, and a truly visionary leader. All you need to do is think of Lagos in 1999 and 2022!
‘’I, therefore, want to assure all party members and supporters of our government that I will be at the forefront of this campaign.
‘’This election is even more important than the election of 2015 that brought us into power. The cost of losing the gains our country has made is much more than the need to stop the haemorrhage that led to our coming together nearly nine years ago.
‘’I want to charge every member to put in all their efforts during the next four and half months of campaign to ensure we record a resounding victory in all our elections nationwide. The future of this country is safer in our hands, ‘’ he said.
Reeling out the achievements of the APC-led administration, President Buhari noted that under his watch, Nigeria’s security personnel are better equipped and motivated.
He added that the exploits of the Nigerian Armed Forces in the battlefield have led to massive and successive operational successes in the quest to secure the country and provide adequate protection for lives and property of all citizens.
The president continued: ‘’The efforts of our men and women in the armed forces over the last years are beginning to yield positive outcomes. We are gradually taking back our country from foreign-inspired bandits, kidnappers, and terrorists in the northeast and northwest and other parts of our country.
‘’We are equally combating separatists, oil thieves and bandits in the southeast and south-south of the country.
‘’Our administration remains committed to progressively eliminating all flashpoints of insecurity nationwide. We would triumph over the enemies of our country; in whatever forms and shapes they appear.’’
Buhari further also scored his administration high on infrastructure, saying ‘’our commitment to stimulate our nation’s economy through massive infrastructural development has not been misplaced.
‘’We are already seeing the unprecedented infrastructure across the country. The real impacts of our efforts will be felt more as the various projects are completed and put to use in the coming days,’’ he added.
The president who described the APC president candidate as ‘’the Jagaban, my friend, partner, and brother,’’ said the occasion was important to him for two reasons.
He noted: ‘’First, it is significant to note that this unveiling is the third by our Party. I have had the opportunity of unveiling two Action Plans. I had the privilege of presenting our party’s manifesto of Change in 2014.
‘’It was a manifesto that signposted our collective desire to arrest the directionless journey our country was headed under the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). The second time was in 2018 when I unveiled the Next Level agenda of our government.
‘’The second reason this occasion is significant is that we are having our first transition within our party where I am in the last year of my two-term mandate, and we have a new candidate to lead our party into another Presidential election.
‘’The events preceding our Presidential primaries and the conduct of the primaries were important milestones in the development of our internal democracy and party politics.
‘’I must congratulate the leadership of our party, other stakeholders, and the entire party members for the success of the exercise. We can say with confidence, that our party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), is charting a steady course in our journey towards enthroning lasting democratic culture in our body polity.’’
The president also thanked party officials in the National Executive Council (NEC), the zonal, state, senatorial, local government, and ward executives for their unalloyed support to his administration and the great efforts and outstanding commitment to the cause of the party and democracy.
He urged them to be mindful of the importance of building a strong and purposeful political party, recounting that the project of pulling ‘’Nigeria back from the precipice in 2015 was made possible by putting together a formidable party peopled by many who have made a vow to work for a Nigeria we all can be proud of.’’
Buahri charged party members to uphold the supremacy of the party, operating within the guidelines as stipulated in their Constitution.
‘’It is worth reiterating the fact that we are stronger today only because we continue to support the Party. For us to develop an enduring democracy in our country, we must first subscribe to the supremacy of our Political Party.
‘’We must subject ourselves to the rules and learn to operate within the guidelines as stipulated in our Party’s Constitution.’’
The president congratulated Tinubu and his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima, for the victory at the primaries, even as he commended the maturity and sportsmanship of other contestants.
He said he was glad that most of the aspirants transferred their structures, including campaign offices to the party’s candidate after the primaries, adding that this is a demonstration of the commitment of the party leaders and members to the cause of the party and democratic practices.
He challenged party members to see themselves as ‘’ambassadors of progressive principles and exemplify the best of us in their action and words.’’
On his part, Tinubu said Nigeria needs an “experienced torchbearer” like him to guide it through the doors of security, prosperity and greatness, and he is ready to hit the ground running from day one if elected.
The presidential candidate recalled his efforts at transforming Lagos State into one of the leading economies in Africa, saying that singular feat has placed him in the best position to help achieve a greater Nigeria that all will be proud of.
He stated: “It is, therefore, fitting that we are unveiling the Tinubu/Shettima Action Plan for a Better Nigeria today. This Plan is not only a roadmap to a prosperous future, it serves as notice to the Nigerian people that, if elected, Senator Shettima and I shall work tirelessly to reach that promised future from the first moment of the first day we enter office.
“The doors to security, prosperity and greatness are open to us. We must step through these portals, guided by a torchbearer with the experience and mettle to shoulder the task ahead. Nothing short of this will suffice.
“I seek to become the next president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria because I know the way. My experience and past performance assure that. It will be through collective effort and national endeavour that we join hands, cross divides, and achieve our vision,” he said self-assuredly.
The APC presidential flagbearer said his campaign roadmap was borne out of interactions with Nigerians across the country who shared their needs and aspirations with him and Senator Shettima in the course of their travelling round the country.
He continued: “I ask you to join Senator Shettima and I on this journey. We have traversed every part of our nation, listening to the concerns and yearnings of Nigerians for a more prosperous and equitable society – better able to acknowledge and nurture the dreams of her people. We share the peoples’ desire for a peaceful Nigeria where we all coexist in fairness, prosperity and with balanced representation in positions of authority.
“After visiting and meeting our compatriots; young and old, poor and rich, educated and uneducated, Christian and Muslim; we recognize that no Nigerian wants empty answers to hard questions at this hour.
“The country does not need fancy promises or foreign experiments. Nigerians seek sustained progress and reform through stable governance and proven leadership.
“We need true and innovative solutions that address the specific challenges of each of our 36 states and our over 200 million people. We need our own Miracle on the Niger River”.
Tinubu further noted that just like he did in Lagos, his administration would provide sufficient jobs with decent wages, revive manufacturing industries, generate, transmit and distribute sufficient and affordable electricity; manufacture, produce and market good quantities of the essential goods and services; export more and import less to strengthen the Naira; make food available and affordable; modernise and expand public infrastructure.
This, he said, his administration will achieve by building on the foundation laid by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.
He added, “Based on our unshakable faith in our people and standing on the foundation established by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, we shall: (a) Build a Nigeria where sufficient jobs with decent wages create a better life for all and a future of promise for our youth.
“(b) Revive our manufacturing industries and place Nigeria back on the path of industrialisation and job creation; (c) Generate, transmit and distribute sufficient, affordable electricity to give our people the necessary power to drive their businesses and brighten their homes. Power is key to unlocking the potential of our national economy.
“(d) Manufacture, produce and market increased quantities of the essential goods and services we require. Nigeria shall be known as a nation of creators, not just consumers. (e) Export more and import less in order to earn more foreign exchange and strengthen the Naira.
“(f) Deliver food security and affordability by continuing to prioritise agriculture and assist farmers and other players in the agricultural value chain through enlightened policies that promote productivity and guarantee robust incomes; (g) Modernise and expand public infrastructure to stimulate economic growth at an optimal rate; (h) Embolden and support our young people and women to participate more in politics and governance.
“(i) Harness emerging sectors such as the digital economy, entertainment, tourism and sport to build, today, the Nigeria of tomorrow. (j) Train and give economic opportunity to people with disabilities, the poor and the vulnerable. We seek a Nigeria where no parent is compelled to send a child to bed hungry, worried whether tomorrow shall bring food; and (k) Make affordable healthcare, education and housing accessible for all.”
Tinubu also pledged to give importance to “lead and deliver bold and assertive security measures to enable a strong yet adaptive national security architecture that will obliterate terror, kidnapping, banditry and violent crime from the face of our nation.”
Calling on all Nigerians to offer their inputs to his nation-building drive which he termed “our gift and duty to each other”, Tinubu also praised APC National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, for strengthening the party organisation as the general elections approach.
Also speaking, national chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Adamu, noted that the APC is set for self-succession in the 2023 presidential and general elections.
He said the governing party is buoyed by ‘’the dint of hardwork, perseverance, discipline, good governance and far-reaching policies of the Buhari administration which has pulled back Nigeria from the brink and stabilised the country.’’
Adamu stated: “It is a moment we solemnly reassure Nigerians that our party is united around a common course; the course of peace, unity and national development. We will neither shirk our responsibilities nor disappoint our teeming millions of supporters in all corners and crannies of our great country. The APC leadership of the country is cast in stone.
“I congratulate and salute all the members of the Presidential Campaign Council – the illustrious men and women who have accepted to serve our party. They are in it for a great and selfless purpose. And that is to work tirelessly, honestly, and committedly for the victory of our party at all levels of the electoral contest next year.
“On their broad and strong shoulders rest the fate of our party in the general elections of 2023. I know we stand together in the task ahead. In the task ahead, we must not take the continued support of the people for granted. This party stands once more on the records of his performance at national and sub-national levels.
“Still, the only thing that will guarantee our victory is our unity of purpose and hard work with discipline. We demonstrated that in 2015 and 2019. Let us demonstrate it again in the year 2023.”
He urged all members of the campaign team to make unity their watchword.
