Presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, has assured Nigerians that there would be equitable treatment of all citizens on his watch if elected president next year.
Tinubu’s assurance came as Presidential Campaign Council of APC accused the presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, of trying to swindle Nigerians with sugarcoated promises and flagrant lies, saying he does not mean well for the country.
But Atiku, yesterday, asked Tinubu to explain the source of his wealth to Nigerians and stop beating around the bush.
Nonetheless, a group of prominent northerners declared that returning the ruling APC to power in 2023 would be destructive to the country. The group is led by former Executive Secretary of National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Professor Usman Yusuf, Mahdi Shehu, and former Director General of Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Ladan Salihu.
Speaking at a town hall meeting with Muslim leaders from the South-west in Ibadan, Tinubu commended religious leaders in the country for their continued prayers and sermons, which he said had contributed to national unity and peaceful coexistence.
In a statement by his Media Office, signed by Mr. Tunde Rahman, Tinubu promised to apply his wealth of experience to lead Nigeria in the spirit of innovation and pragmatic vision, uplift the nation, and renew the hope of Nigerians.
The APC candidate, who spoke partly in the Yoruba language, said, “This election season has been a hybrid of facts and falsehood, truth and lies. I would like the election to be one based on facts and truth.
“What is a candidate’s record of performance and what are his policies? I ask you to urge your followers to come out and vote and to do so wisely. Vote for a candidate that has a vision for a peaceful, prosperous Nigeria where tolerance and compassion undergird our constitutional and legal rights.”
Describing the 2023 general election as Nigeria’s momentous encounter with destiny, Tinubu urged the Islamic clerics to educate their followers on the importance of exercising their franchise and voting only tested candidates with a track record of excellent public service. He warned against falling for the lies and gimmicks of those with nothing to offer.
The former governor of Lagos State assured Nigerians that he would be “a fair and just leader,” stressing, “My pledge for fairness and justice is consistent with the tenets of Islamic faith. A leader in a plural society like ours is enjoined to be a leader of all. If elected, I shall govern in an honest and democratic manner in harmony with our nation’s constitution.”
On security, Tinubu vowed to end the reign of terror, kidnappings and other violent crimes by recruiting more personnel that would be trained and retrained, in addition to providing more security tools and gadgets for effective fight against criminal elements.
The APC standard bearer promised to diversify and restructure the economy towards achieving at least six per cent growth rate annually. He said the goals would be achieved through the reform of the country’s industrial policy, infrastructure enhancement, power sector innovation, and significant budgetary reforms.
Tinubu told the Muslim leaders, “Regarding the economy, we seek to repair the very structure of the economy. We can no longer flourish as an economy based on natural resource extraction.
“We must become a dynamic, diversified economy, where those who want to work can find a good job. But let us also be a society sufficiently compassionate to help those, who cannot help themselves.
“We must revive manufacturing and industrial growth so as to create jobs as well as produce the goods and services that improve the daily lives of the average person.
“We seek a minimum of six per cent growth annually through reform of our industrial policy, infrastructural enhancement, power sector innovation, and significant budgetary reform.”
Earlier, President of South-west Muslims, Alhaji Rasaki Oladejo, said the event provided an opportunity for the APC candidate to interface with Muslim leaders in the geopolitical zone on his plans for the country if elected, “particularly on how he could make the country a land of great opportunities, where no man will be oppressed”.
National Chief Missioner of Anwar-ur-Deen Movement, Sheikh Ahmad Abdulrahman, said the gathering was not to campaign or endorse Tinubu or any candidate, but to seek to know if Tinubu could still deliver for the country as he did as governor of Lagos State.
Meanwhile, Director of Media and Publicity, APC Presidential Campaign, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, said, in a statement, that Nigerians should not be fooled by boldfaced lies being enunciated by Atiku and PDP.
Onanuga said PDP should be eternally shameful of its appalling record in governance between 1999 and 2015. He alleged that PDP was busy rewriting history and embellishing the locust years as if it was a golden era in the country’s history.
The APC campaign spokesman stated, “We need to warn Nigerians to be wary of the sugar-coated promises of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and his Peoples Democratic Party as they embark on their inordinate and desperate campaign to gain power at all cost.
“Of course, this is fake history at its worst. We are not fooled. Nigerians should also not be fooled about the boldfaced lies, being articulated by the candidate and his party.”
Onanuga.pointed out that what was more shocking was Atiku’s audacity in standing up to ask for votes despite what his boss, President Olusegun Obasanjo, wrote about him in his book, My Watch.
He said Obasanjo wrote that it would have been an unpardonable mistake “and sin against God to foist him on Nigeria”, saying Obasanjo still believes so till tomorrow.