By Johnson Eyiangho, Abuja

Two presidential candidates in next year’s general elections, Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have intensified their campaigns to garner more support ahead of the coming election.

While Atiku was in Benin City, Edo state for his campaign, the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate,  Tinubu was in Kano, where he commissioned the APC governorship and presidential campaign office in Kano metropolis.

We’ll Hold APC Accountable for Failures – Atiku

Atiku in a statement to his supporters yesterday, said they will hold the All Progressives Congress (APC) – led Federal Government accountable for their failures.

The former Vice President described the 2023 general election as a referendum on the performance of the APC.

He accused the APC and its presidential candidate, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, of attempts to run away from the failures of the Buhari administration but assured that the PDP won’t let them  go free.

The statement read in part: “In Benin yesterday, I made my plans clear about the work that lies ahead of us to unite, rescue, and restore Nigeria.

“It’s a plan that encompasses a wide range of the challenges that beset us currently, and the core purpose of my campaign is to market those plans to Nigerians.

“For me and everyone on the PDP side, including you, the next general election is a referendum on the performance of the APC.

“The ruling – party will want to run away from their poor performance. In fact, they will wish that we focus on topics that are irrelevant to the next election. But we won’t give them that advantage. We will hold them accountable for their scorecards.

“But even that is not enough. What is more important is that we don’t make the same mistake again.

“That’s why it is incumbent on us to evaluate the plans of each political party and let that be the yardstick of our electoral decisions”.

Atiku assured that as the PDP presidential candidate, he would focus on issues relevant to the next election.

We’ll Use Our Broom to Clean Nigeria – Tinubu

The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Candidate, Sen. Bola Tinubu, inaugurated APC governorship and presidential campaign office in Kano metropolis, and declared that the ruling party would use its broom(symbol) to clean the country.

Inaugurating the office on Saturday in Kano, Tinubu said that he was overwhelmed with the campaign structure, and expressed optimism that APC would emerge victorious at all levels in the forthcoming 2023 General Elections.

“I’m really impressed with what I saw in terms of preparations and organisations of the campaign structure here,” he said.

Though Tinubu said that he was not in Kano for campaign but for the commissioning of campaign office and inspection, he assured that if voted into power, he would move the country in the right direction and Nigerians would not regret voting for him.

“We will use our broom to clean the country and give joy to all Nigerians,” he said.

Tinubu, who stressed the importance of women in the society, said that they have important roles to play in the success of the party in the general elections.

Kano state Governor,  Abdullahi Ganduje in his speech assured that the  people of the state would vote massively for APC as usual.

“Kano is APC and APC is Kano. So our people are on board and we are soliciting  their support as usual,” he explained.

Ganduje said that Tinubu was a leader who would unite and move the nation forward.

National Chairman of APC, Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, who also spoke at the event said that the party had no excuse to fail considering its popularity and number of governors.

He urged all Nigerians, regardless of tribe or religion, to support Tinubu and all APC candidates for the overall development of the country.

Yoruba World Congress Declares Support for Tinubu in UK

The Yoruba World Congress (YWC) has declared support for the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, with a promise to work for the enthronement of a Tinubu presidency in 2023.

According to a statement by YWC leader, Mr Adigun Raheem on Sunday in Abuja, the declaration was at the Holiday Inn Express Hotel, Stratford, London, with eminent personalities in attendance.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Yoruba World Congress (YWC), is an umbrella body of all self-determination groups and socio-cultural organisations of Yoruba descent worldwide.

Raheem said the time had come for everyone, most especially sons and daughters of Yoruba descendant, around the world to put behind the past and work for the success of their son, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu in the forthcoming presidential election.

He said the YWC had resolved to support the APC candidate with the hope that he would return Nigeria’s glory and bring the cohesion and peace required for the progress and development of the country.

According to him, Nigeria needs a courageous strong leader, a pan-Nigerian with in-depth experience on economy, politics and the country generally, saying that this is where Tinubu stands out.

He assured that the YWC would deploy its entire arsenal to work for Tinubu’s victory in the 2023 presidential election.

 “This is the best time for Nigeria to take her place in the comity of nations and Tinubu is the right man to take us there,” Raheem said.

He added that the YWC would send representatives to Nigeria to work with the APC Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) ahead of the election to ensure electoral victory.

According to the statement, among the guest at the declaration were APC leader, Mr Oldeebo Olaide, National Chairman of Tinubu-Shettima Support Group (TSSG) in the Diaspora, and his Deputy, Amb. Azeez Salam.

Others were: Otunba Jafaru Braimoh, TSSG France representative, Hadjia Rakeyaat Alfa, TSSG Diaspora representative, Kemi Hadjia Hauwa and TSSG United Kingdom Representative, Kemi Omole.

Also represented at the occasion were the TSSG Grand Patron, Chief James Faleke and the APC PCC Director of Diaspora Directorate, Mr Ade Omole.

The statement added that Oladapo Habeeb who represented the APC UK Campaign Council, welcomed the YWC at the event held amid fanfare (NAN)

Atiku Abubakar Eager to Serve Nigerians — PDP Chieftain

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta, Chief Fred Majemite, yesterday threw his support behind the Presidential Candidate of the party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

Majemite said Abubakar is always eager to serve the country due to his understanding of the nation’s problems.

Majemite said this in an interview in Abuja.

He explained that against some perceptions in the public, the PDP candidate is not a desperate politician.

He explained that the candidate had contested for the same office in the past because he is still eager to serve Nigerians.

“You know in politics once you have been beaten by the bug and you really want to prove a point that you will do better, you continue to be involved.

“Atiku Abubakar is eager to serve not desperate, hence his constant interest to be president of the country.

“If he was desperate, he had an option to be president after former President Olusegun Obasanjo first term, but he refused the option, remember at that time he had all the structures.

“But he is eager to serve the country at the presidential level, that is why he always brings himself up to contest for the number one seat.

“He is one man that understands the problems of problems of Nigeria, so I think, we should give him a chance.

“He has come out with his own programme, so we should judge him by that,” he said.

On the expectations from Abubakar should he win the presidential election, Majemite a former gubernatorial aspirant in Delta said tackling insecurity and power problem would be his focus.

“First thing is primarily he should ensure complete and total eradication of insecurity or reduction to a very minimal level.

“After that, it’s not yet uhuru in the power sector. When we talk about the free fall of the naira, we will continue to have this problem, if we don’t get the power crisis sorted out.

“This is because the cost of running a small business is something else due to the cost of diesel.

“Even the solar light, though a welcome development, but how many people can afford it now?, he said.

He said that every Nigerian needs power supply, adding that once the power issue is tackled, investors would naturally troop into the country.

“Even the companies we have here can be revived, because as it is now, most companies in the country have gone underground, because no electricity to run them.

“If he can solve the power problem, he would have been creating enabling environment for people to do their businesses.

“Then we will have enough to export and the naira will be stronger, because if we don’t change our taste, we will continue to get same result,” he said.

He said that presently, the nation is not exporting anything aside crude oil.

“We are saying everyone should go back to agriculture, but even the farm produce, we still need to preserve them, if we are to export them.

“Aside silos, we must also use warmers and dryers, so we still need electricity.

“So tackling the insecurity in the country as well as the power problem are extremely important to the PDP candidate” he said. (NAN)