The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, on Friday promised that he and his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima, were more than ever ready to hit the ground running from day one if elected Nigeria’s President.
Tinubu made the solemn pledge at the State House Banquet Hall during the unveiling of his campaign policy document and the inauguration of APC Presidential Campaign Council by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.).
While describing himself as a veteran in nation-building, Tinubu restated that the country needed an “experienced torchbearer” to unlock the doors of security, prosperity and greatness.
According to him, his experience as Lagos State Governor where he transformed the state to one of the leading economies in Africa places him in the best position to help achieve this with his running mate.
He said, “This Plan is not only a roadmap to a prosperous future, it serves as notice to the Nigerian people that, if elected, Senator Shettima and I shall work tirelessly to reach that promised future from the first moment of the first day we enter office.
“The doors to security, prosperity and greatness are open to us. We must step through these portals, guided by a torchbearer with the experience and mettle to shoulder the task ahead. Nothing short of this will suffice.
“I seek to become the next president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria because I know the way. My experience and past performance assure that. It will be through collective effort and national endeavour that we join hands, cross divides, and achieve our vision,” he said self-assuredly.
An excited Tinubu told the audience that his campaign roadmap was borne out of interactions with Nigerians whose needs and aspirations he shared in the course of travelling across the country.
This is even as he promised to consolidate on the gains of the president once they are elected into office.
“Based on the foundation established by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, we shall build a Nigeria where sufficient jobs with decent wages create a better life for all and a future of promise for our youth.
“We shall revive our manufacturing industries and place Nigeria back on the path of industrialisation and job creation as well as to generate, transmit and distribute sufficient, affordable electricity to give our people the necessary power to drive their businesses and brighten their homes. Power is key to unlocking the potential of our national economy.
“We also look forward to delivering food security and affordability by continuing to prioritise agriculture and assist farmers and other players in the agricultural value chain through enlightened policies that promote productivity and guarantee robust incomes.
“I ask you to join Senator Shettima and I on this journey. We have traversed every part of our nation, listening to the concerns and yearnings of Nigerians for a more prosperous and equitable society – better able to acknowledge and nurture the dreams of her people. We share the peoples’ desire for a peaceful Nigeria where we all coexist in fairness, prosperity and with balanced representation in positions of authority,” he said.
He said he and his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima, were more than ever ready to hit the ground running from day one if elected Nigeria’s President.
”I, therefore, want to assure all party members and supporters of our government that I will be at the forefront of this campaign.
”This election is even more important than the election of 2015 that brought us into power. The cost of losing the gains our country has made is much more than the need to stop the haemorrhage that led to our coming together nearly nine years ago.
”I want to charge every member to put in all their efforts during the next four and half months of campaign to ensure we record a resounding victory in all our elections nationwide. The future of this country is safer in our hands,” he said.