2023: I will restore hope to Nigerians — Yahaya Bello

One of the aspirants to succeed President Munamadu Buhari on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi stateas said his government will restore hope to Nigerians if elected as president in 2023 general elections

Yahaya Bello made this known while addressing journalists at the party national secretariat in Abuja on Wednesday, after picking his expression of interest and nomination forms.

According to him, he will be glad to unite and secure Nigeria and urged all party faithfuls to support him to emerge as the flagbearer of APC come 30th and 31st of May 2023, as he’s very sure that’s the easiest way the party can be victorious.

“Yahaya Bello is coming on the table and restoring hope to the entire Nigeria and the entire black race,  Africa as a continent and the entire black people across the world. That is the hope we are bringing on board to unite, to secure, and to put our country and its people on the path of progress and prosperity.

“Today I have with me my nomination and expression of interest forms to contest as the presidential flagbearer of this great party, the All Progressives Congress. Today we are happy, Nigerians are happy and the party is happy. Right now what we have ahead of us is the task of canvassing and consulting all party faithfuls, leaders, stalwarts, members and even all Nigerians at home and in the diaspora.”

Speaking on the rumored adoption of the former president Goodluck Jonathan by two northern governors, Governor Bello said he’s not bothered by such as he strongly believes all odds are in his favour and expressed optimism to emerge victorious.

“That is the beauty of democracy. In democracy anybody can support anyone but I am assuring you that our great party, the APC is a party that has its own ethics, rules and regulations and I know surely that all of these are in my favour and I am not in any way scared of the pedigree of anyone whatsoever.

“I am confident that I am in the majority, I have the women, I have the youth, I have the people living with disabilities and they are all behind me. I have leaders, I have followers and above all, God Almighty.”

Meanwhile, a female aspirant for the Senatorial Position of the Federal Capital Territory FCT, Adedayo Benjamin Laniyi on the platform of APC, had earlier on Wednesday thanked the leadership of the party for giving women an affordable budget to get their nomination forms.

Laniyi while speaking to journalists after obtaining her expression of interest and nomination forms said she stands to represent not just an advocacy of victory for women running in the political race of the nation but more importantly, for the advocacy of women rights to be on the ballot box to run and to win.

According to her, “I have raised and I have built skills, institutions, teams, by the power of leadership and the distinction not just of leading but of working with a team to effectively deliver an expectation and results.”

On the price of nomination form as women have been considered to pay less compared to men, she said, “It’s not half the price I bought my form but for the whole price, expression of interest of 3 million naira. And that is why I was particular to appreciate what has already been paid for, by way of the leadership of the party, granting women out of the 20 million naira the intervention of 3 million.

“So I didn’t buy it at half price. I bought it at the whole figure of 3 million naira, which is the rate of reference for any woman running for Senate in the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the platform of the APC.”

Speaking further on what would be her primary focus if eventually elected, she said her priority is to establish a statement of non-negotiable unity at the center of unity.

“That translates to taking the diversity of indigenous and non Indigenous status and making it a national reference of unity, faith, peace and progress from everyone here in the FCT, from the original inhabitants to the first settler coming in.

“FCT is the creation of a noble cause. FCT is not just a capital city, not just like a political monument, but for political history. And that is why and that is how it is. I’m in it to win it.”