Tuesday, January 17, 2023 presidential rally of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ilorin, Kwara State was indeed mother of all rallies.
The presidential candidate of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his entourage virtually shut down Ilorin, as the mammoth crowd that thronged the Metropolitan Square venue of the rally spilled across the roads and all over the ancient city. Itook well over two hours for the Tinubu’s train to arrive at the square from the Ilorin Airport.
And gaining entrance into the square was also a difficult task as the mammoth crowd surge to catch a glimpse of Tinubu, his host, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and other eminent members of the presidential campaign team. Though civil in their approach, the security operatives deployed to the venue of the rally had hectic time controlling the crowd in order to pave way for the passage of the campaign train into the arena.
When he mounted the rostrum to address the gathering,the elated Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu charged the people of state to vote for him and all APC candidates in the coming general elections in order to cement the freedom from exploitation they achieved four years ago.
Tinubu told the people that they had been enjoying freedom and progress under the leadership of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, urging them to remain committed to the administration.
“Are you going to be committed to the freedom that you have been enjoying under Governor Abdulrazaq?
Are you going to cement that freedom? Do you have your PVCs?”
Thanking them for believing in the governor and for being committed to his re-election, Asiwaju Tinubu said: “On February 25th, we will need you to come out. You don’t vote for anybody else, you vote for me, you vote for the APC. Vote APC across all levels – Presidential, National Assembly, Governorship and State House of Assembly elections.”
He added:” Kwarans, I congratulate you for your freedom four years ago. It was a thunderbolt across the country. You deserve great congratulations.
“Today, we are just celebrating freedom. We are re-assessing and re-asserting our freedom in democracy. Yesterday, they never believed that today would happen, but it is happening in your lifetime. We thank you for believing in (Governor) AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq. He knows how to behave. He is a very honest and genuine, hardworking man.”
The APC presidential candidate warned Nigerians never to be deceived into voting the opposition Peoples Democratic Party in next month’s election, saying a vote for PDP would be an error that will be hard to correct.
According to him, several facts have pointed to the fact that the PDP Presidential Candidate Atiku Abubakar is only interested in the presidential race to enrich himself and his friends.
He said just like he did in the past, if given the opportunity again, Atiku would only sell Nigeria to his shady friends in the name of privatization.
He said: “You earned a favorable and great place in the history of our progressive party and of the nation when you voted for the APC to chase the PDP out of this beautiful and historic town. You kicked them out and now they want to come back.
“Do not let them back in. They only want to devour what they could not take the first time. If you give them the chance, they will strip Kwara and Nigeria bare to the bone.
“The PDP candidate in the race is well known for selling everything that has the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s name on it. If it is part of the public treasure or national patrimony, he is looking to pawn it to one of his shady partners.
“He wants to sell off your chance at a decent job, good schools, a nice home and a happy life. His aim is to sell and turn our public assets into his private profit. He wants you to go hungry so that he can feast off the abundance of the land.”
Tinubu also dwelt on the recent revelation by one of Atiku’s former aides Michael Achimugu where the former vice president himself admitted to setting up Special Purpose Vehicle companies to siphon the country’s funds.
“Before today, we used to call him Mr. Privatize. But today, we must give him a new name. One that comes from his own mouth.
“He is now Mr. SPV. From his own mouth, we have heard him admit that he and his old boss conspired to rob from the Nigerian treasury millions upon millions of dollars. They did this by using a fancy business device called an SPV, Special purpose vehicle, to hide the money.
“By his antics, Atiku has changed the meaning of SPV. It is no longer a business unit. With him, it is a money-eating monster. From henceforth, Atiku shall be known as MR. SPV. S for Stealing, P for Plunder and V for Vicious.
“For this is a vicious assault on the public funds, public welfare and on the public conscience. How can he so brazenly steal and plunder yet ask you to return him to the scene of the crime. He wants to return to the crime scene not to repent but to repeat the Stealing Plundering and Viciousness.
“You must stop him before he stops your dreams and aspirations for a better Nigeria.”
He said the APC just like it has done in the about eight years of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, has shown that it means well for the country and its citizens, promising to continue with this.
“Instead, the APC has a much better way for you. We have good and positive plans for this country.
“If you give us the mandate with your vote, we will carry Kwara and the rest of the country to a more prosperous and secure future,” he added.
He promised to take advantage of the agricultural resources in abundance in Kwara to transform the state for the creation of jobs and welfare of the citizens.
He added, “We will return farming to its glorious past of profitability. Farmers will be paid the full value of their toil and their produce. This will be achieved through Commodity Exchange boards setting a minimum price for strategic agricultural produce.
“We shall create agricultural hubs throughout Nigeria. These hubs will increase land under cultivation. They will also wed small, medium and large farms so that small farms will benefit from the expertise and equipment of the larger ones.
“We shall continue the progress made by the present administration by enhancing agricultural productivity and agro-allied industry. We will boost our production so that we turn our country of importers into one of exporters. We have the experience and the will to make it happen.”
Speaking on education, he said, “We will prioritize education as a tool for empowerment. It is not just about producing more and more graduates. We will improve the quality of our education to make our youths more productive and will reform education such that our able and energetic young people are given the skills and knowledge needed to fill the jobs and compete in the economy of the future.”
The APC candidate also did not fail to mention his plans to ensure that the country is secure and conducive for everyone to move around unhindered and without fear.
“We will secure our nation and our borders through recruiting and deploying more security personnel, improving the communications, equipment and training of our personnel as well as using top shelf technology to improve ground and aerial surveillance.
“These evil crime, kidnapping and terror networks want to put a roadblock in the way of your destiny and future. But we shall take up our progressive broom and sweep away their evil doings so that we can move forward to our nation’s best destiny,” he added.
Kwara State Governor Abdulrasaq thanked the people of the state for the massive turn out while also urging them not to allow “those who stole your future, who could not pay your salaries and pensions to return to power.”
Accompanied by First Lady, Ambassador Olufolake AbdulRazaq, Kwara State governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq commended the people of the state for coming out in droves to welcome Tinubu and his entourage.
“This huge crowd is a testament to our standing with the people of Kwara State. It shows that we have won this election. Our presidential candidate has seen what we have done in this state. Kwara is APC. Kwara indeed is one of the strongholds of the APC. Our members are happy. The state is happy. They have seen what we have done. We met a failed state in several sectors, and we have been able to tackle it from education, healthcare, and other sectors. All the indices have gone up in the right sense,” he said.
“You need to continue to support this party at all levels. President Muhammadu Buhari has done well. We need to build on his success. No person could have done what he has done, despite the economic downturn, Covid-19 pandemic, and global economic crisis. We must sustain this growth consistently. That will be continued by our incoming team led by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“Party faithfuls, I urge you to support and vote for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The progress we have in this state will be continued with Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. We thank him for the support he gave us in 2019. He gave us full support in throwing out the termites in this state. We still want to thank Mr. President, who is away in Mauritania. He couldn’t be here but he will come back here. We appreciate his efforts and the support he has been giving this government for the progress of the state. You all know what we have been doing in this state from healthcare. Don’t allow the party of people of dubious characters to come back into this state. Don’t allow people who stole the UBEC funds to come back to this state. They could not even pay salaries. What are they coming to do?
“Just last month, we paid N3.5bn for pensions and gratuities of 2009 and 2010. When we came in, there was no water works working in this state. We have 90 waterworks in this state right from the time of Sir Ahmadu Bello. They crashed everything. In fact, they were not paying counterpart funds in the health sector. Nothing.”
APC national chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu said Kwara has proven to be a strong APC state with the showings posted for the rally.
“Kwarans, you have really surprised me. I have seen more than what I expected, and everyone has seen what Kwara has done today. You have said it laud and clear that you are better together. We pray and hope that this is translated to real vote on the 25th of February,” he saiD
The campaign train later paid a special homage to the Emir of Ilorin and chairman, Kwara State Council of Traditional Rulers, Alh Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, who prayed for the success of the candidate in the coming polls.
Sulu-Gambari acknowledged the sterling qualities of Tinubu and Governor AbdulRazaq, who he described as great and humble achievers.
In a thank you message to the people of the state, Governor AbdulRazaq said the massive crowd of APC members , supporters and stakeholders who trooped out en masse from all parts of Kwara State to welcome the presidential candidate of the party , Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and his running mate , Senator Kashim Shetima to the party presidential campaign rally in Ilorin on Tuesday clearly reaffirmed the overwhelming support for APC from the electorate and its brightest chances to record a landslide victory in the 2023 general elections.
The governor’s special adviser on Strategy, Alh Saadu Salahu signed the appreciation statement on behalf of the local organising committee of the APC presidential campaign council.
Appreciating members of the local organising committee in a post rally review meeting, Governor AbdulRazaq noted that overwhelming majority of the people of Kwara State relished the historic Republican spirit gained from the 2019 political revolution which put godfatherism into dust bin of history in Kwara politics.
The governor noted with great delight Kwarans’ acknowledgement of the unprecedented achievements of his Administration in the past 4 years as demonstrated by their impressive turn out to assure Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu / Shetima team and other leaders of the party of APC landslide’s victory in the 2023 general elections in the state.
The governor, on behalf of all the party candidates for the 2023 general elections, expressed profound appreciation to the Emir of Ilorin, Alh Ibrahim Sulu- Gambari , other members of the State traditional council and all traditional rulers , Security Agencies , party leaders , elders , women , youths , associations , societies , political fora , movements and all APC stakeholders for their hospitality, encouraging support and commitment — all of which made the Tinubu/ Shetima presidential rally in Kwara Stare a positive reference point to other parts of the Country.
He called on all APC members to get ready and focused on the 2023 electioneering in Kwara State.
The rally was attended by APC National chairman, Abdullahi Adamu, vice presidential candidate, Senator Kashim Shettima, director-g eneral of the Tinubu-Shettima campaign and Governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong, Governor Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger State, APC deputy national chairman (North), Senator Abubakar Kyari and members of the party’s National Working Committee.
Other diginataries that graced the event included the deputy governor of Kwara State, Elder Kayode Alabi, former House of Representatives Speaker, Rt. Hon. Dimeji Bankole; Senators, including the three from Kwara; House of Representatives members; minister of Information, Alh Lai Mohammed; minister of Youths and Sports Sunday Dare; Speaker of Kwara State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Engr Yakubu Salihu- Danladi; House of Assembly members; cabinet members; Kwara APC chairman, Prince Sunday Fagbemi; Malam Lanre Issa- Onilu, Alh Isiaka Nurudeen Akinlanso amongst others.
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