Ahead of Saturday’s Presidential and National Assembly elections, a group from the South-South geo-political zone of Nigeria has advanced reasons why eligible Nigerians should cast their votes for the presidential ticket of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Kashim Shettima of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
The group christened South-South Movement for Tinubu/Shettima Ticket (SSMTS) outlined the reasons for soliciting votes for the APC presidential ticket at a press briefing in Warri, Delta State to wrap up its entire campaign activities for the 2023 general elections.
National Coordinator, South-South Movement for Tinubu/Shettima Ticket (SSMTS), Eyengho, Samuel Besidone read the six-point press briefing where it said, “the group had on its own taken the message of Renewed Hope to the nooks and crannies of the region and also joined the APC Presidential Campaign Council team in spreading the same message to the great people of the region”.
Below are the reasons put forward by the group why Nigerians should vote APC in the ballot on Saturday, February 25, 2023.
1. Our principal has transversed the length and breadth of the Nigerian state and in some cases twice and thrice as the case may be with his idea of a Renewed hope, all through the electioneering campaign period, he has spoken to the heart of Nigerians what he has in the offing. In return, the acceptance is overwhelming as can be seen with the huge crowd of party supporters, and electorates as well as large numbers of decampees from opposition political parties who troop out in countless numbers to identify with him whenever he arrives at the campaign venues each state he visited.
2. The indices are high, and we are convinced he will win on the first ballot:
a. Considering his antecedent of embedding sustainable development as a former Governor of Lagos.
b. The APC has structures in all 36 states.
c. The show of capacity thus far by the 22 APC governors who are irrevocably committed to the Tinubu/Shettima Tickets especially those from the Northern extraction of the country.
d. Additionally, even some of the PDP Governors particularly the aggrieved G5 governors , who were betrayed, mocked and as such have exhibited genuineness in their quest for equity and the unity of the Nigeria State specifically Rivers, Oyo, Abia etc.
e. Furthermore, while traversing the nook and crannies of the country, our principal has been able to convince Nigerians that modern-day infrastructural development and sustainable policies, especially on Education, security, economy, social, IGR, tourism, transport, commerce, information Technology to mention a few, of Lagos state can be replicated across the Nigeria State.
The reason all sitting and formal governors of the 36 states of Nigeria have properties and mansions in Lagos including his contenders in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour party (LP).
Had Asiwaju not developed and established the Lagos master plan and consistently ensure it is followed to the later by all successive governments after him, these politicians would not have seen Lagos as their haven. We would love to put before the opposition parties, why have the home state of Adamawa and Anambra not been so comfortable with their candidates having been former governors, they either reside abroad (Dubia and London) or they are in Lagos. Therefore, Asiwaju has said all states of Nigeria need a sustainable master plan that can allow the steady development of these states to discourage the influx of Nigerians to Lagos.
f. Our candidate did not at any time claim to be a monopoly of knowledge, the reason he openly displayed his rare critical leadership skills during the Chatham house interview, wherein he promised Nigerians that he will draft an excellent team of professionals to help proffer solutions to the Nigeria Mirage of problem.
3. Our principal is bold and courageous hence as a president he won’t be a pushover. In a trying time like this, we need a brave and fearless President to take the lead, that is exactly what Asiwaju symbolizes.
Apparently, we need someone who will not be hesitant to take bold and decisive decisions especially as it concerns the National interest of the Nigeria populist on Security, and Economy/Monetary policies, he will be able to challenge those cartels entrenched in the fuel subsidy reaping off our commonwealth through the scam called a subsidy.
We are well assured there won’t be untouchable under his government every public office holder will be put into check and control for the interest of the people.
Asiwaju has over the years promised to tackle restructuring with a view to strengthening the component units of the Nigeria Federation, which will grow according to their potential an well as issues of recurring decimal vis- a -vis state police, resource control, etc. Asiwaju is the true Nigeria that can be best described as a UNIFIER, he is not a religious bigot like the PDP candidate, who speaks of his religion alone or the LP candidate who runs from one church of worship to the other seeking sympathy.
Leadership is by antecedence and experience. He cannot be seen to be a fanatic but a cosmopolitan, he can further be described “on a lighter note as (MTN) everywhere you go”. Our respected principal believed in the growth of manpower development, he has made people across the length and breadth of Nigeria as can be seen in the numerous testimonies from supporters like Joe Igbokwe, Nnamani, etc.
4. Why other presidential Candidates especially (Atiku and Obi) are in a self-serving sycophantic praise singing of the federal government’s anti-people failed and disgraceful CBN monetary policy (Naira Re-design), it is only our principal who in his usual vocal style come out publicly to challenge the presidency and stay with the people by proffering solution through a letter transmitted to the CBN, if implemented will ease the suffering of millions of Nigerians who could not gain access to their hard-earned cash from the bank.
Importantly as it is, our Principal, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is not disturbed by the Naira Redesign, his worries are that the masses are gravely affected. The shout and alarm are rooted in his usual character as a champion of the commoners as exemplified in his NADECO and the Military junta struggles. Perhaps, vote buying is not peculiar to any party or candidate, for example, every stakeholder (INEC, Police, Military, para, military, observers, etc.) in the polity, requires finance (Cash) to ensure the smooth execution of their planning and logistic for the polls. Why do the so-called cabal think they are targeting our Principal (Tinubu)? They are of no consequences, these are the cabal who couldnt influence the outcome of the APC primary, where the delegates were all known to them and the numbers were reasonably small, they shall remain inconsequential and insignificant in the general election where well over 93.46 million voters will be the pivotal factors.
5. Conclusively, we wish to audaciously state that the PDP candidate Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is up for a self-serving mission of coming to sell our national assets to his families, friends, and cronies. He is coming to sell those national assets remaining in Nigeria, that escaped him in 1999-2007 e.g., NNPC-LTD, NPA, and other viable National assets that our candidate intends to transform into profit generation for the best interest of the Nigeria State. His desperation to become president this time is nonetheless for self-enrichment and not out of patriotic zeal. While his counterpart Mr Peter Obi of the LP is capitalizing on the ignorance of some few Nigerians, otherwise he should have set Anambra on the path of greatness by ensuring sustainable infrastructural institutions, such that successive government can then build on it as can be seen in Lagos state. Instead, we hear H.E Soludo, Chukwuma complained that the environment of Anambra state is his number one existential threat other than security as over 40% of Anambra land is under threat of erosion and Anambra is now the Erosion capital of Nigeria. Meanwhile, Tinubu was able to salvage the entire Lagos Island from the threat of Ocean Surge which would have taken many lives, The question is what did Peter Obi do to bring the necessary succour to the good people of Anambra while as Governor of that great state for eight years?
6. Gentlemen of the press, from all indications, our principal Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is winning landslides in the February 25th, 2023, general election based on our conviction and track records. We, therefore, humbly call on our eligible voters across the South-South geopolitical zones to turn out in their numbers to vote ASIWAJU BOLA AHMED TINUBU and the APC in their respective polling units. The leadership of the South-South Movement for Tinubu/Shettima Tickets will be here with you next week to address and thank Nigerians at a post-election victory press conference.
