Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai has congratulated president-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on his victory, stressing that Kaduna All Progressives Congress (APC) members would build on the presidential election to victory in 11th March, 2023 governorship and House of Assembly elections.
El-Rufai in a statement he personally signed and released on Tuesday, noted that careful analysis of the results of the 2023 presidential elections showed that about 600,000 persons who voted for President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 and 2019 did not come out to vote.
The governor said political opponents appeared to have got their usual voter turnout, apart from the first time voters which led to APC losing many National Assembly seats and presidential elections in the state to the opposition.
El-Rufai said APC members in Kaduna State will use the legitimate route democracy offers to redress the setbacks of 25 February elections by working for the victory of all APC candidates in Kaduna State next week Saturday.
The governor said, “I congratulate Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu on his resounding victory in the presidential election. It is a much-deserved triumph, reflecting the connection between dedicated effort and reward. That it came amidst the most onerous circumstances for the candidates of a ruling party underlines the scale of the hard work put in by the APC and its supporters.
“It is a tribute to the resilience of the Nigerian people whose votes have made it all possible, and I join our party in expressing my gratitude to all Nigerians. Our party has a duty to repay this faith by providing purposeful governance that delivers progressive outcomes for all Nigerians. I have no doubt that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu grasps the import of this victory and will lead Nigeria’s forward march with renewed hope.
“He knows he has our staunch support in bringing Nigerians together and uniting the country in common endeavours for progress, peace and prosperity.
“I am proud of the contributions of the people of Kaduna State to this monumental triumph that the APC has accomplished amidst incredible odds. In this titanic struggle, we sadly lost many of our National Assembly seats. Regrettable as that is, APC members are still victors. APC members in Kaduna State, our supporters and the entire people of Kaduna State have just partaken in a festival of democracy that has demonstrated our status as people of honour.”
“Our region as a whole has shown that we value national unity, that we honour agreements and dutifully discharge the obligations that such entail.
“Every APC member is an integral part of this victorious national party. The Kaduna APC will build on this momentum to victory in the 11th March 2023 governorship and State House of Assembly elections. On that day, our people would use the legitimate route democracy offers to redress the setbacks of 25 February by giving an emphatic victory to all APC candidates in Kaduna State. We will campaign hard anew on our strong record of governance in the last eight years in which we have put our people first,” he said.
El-Rufai added, “I appeal to our people to come and vote massively on 11th March, 2023. Many more of our candidates would have won on 25th February if there was better turnout of our supporters. A careful analysis of the results of the 2023 presidential elections shows that about 600,000 persons who voted for President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 and 2019 did not come out to vote.”
