By Saka Laaro, Ilorin.
Mammoth crowd on Tuesday welcomed the presidential flag bearer of the All progressive party (APC) Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and his running mate Sen. Kashim Shettima to Ilorin, Kwara State capital.
Residents waved ecstatically on the streets of Ilorin to usher in the APC presidential candidate Tinubu and other dignitaries to the State for the campaign flag off.
The candidate, his running mate and the party chairman, Abdullahi Adamu arrived the city in company of several APC leaders and apparatchiks, and were received by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and a number of APC candidates and leaders from across the state of harmony.
In the welcome train were Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, the three senators from Kwara and their colleagues from Kogi and other parts of Nigeria, cabinet members, APC candidates, and hundreds of party stalwarts — many donning the ‘emilokan cap,’ others adorned with the insignia of his cap.
Accompanied by a motorcade that stretched a few kilometers, the double-decker Marco Polo bus conveying Tinubu and the dignitaries got locked in a suffocating human traffic formed by thousands of supporters and admirers who lined the streets from the Ilorin International Airport.
The convoy headed to the venue of the rally, spending over one hour between the airport and Gaa Odota — the neighbourhood next to the airport.
The candidate and the entourage who first of all paid homage to the Emir and then headed to the campaign ground where thousands of party supporters were waiting for speeches from the candidate and official handing over of flags to the candidates, including Governor AbdulRazaq who is running for second term on his sterling records of bringing governance closer to the grassroots, strengthening infrastructure, empowering women and young people, and for the first time creating a formal structure to cater for the poor and the vulnerable.
Addressing the party supporters, Tinubu reminded the people of Kwara state that they must maintain the freedom they have achieved since four years ago.
“Your election results must just find the freedom attained,” he said.
The state Governor AbdulRazaq Abdulrahaaman also said that, the people of the state are ready to support APC to success in the next month general elections.
Governor AbdulRazaq said his work in about four years will translate to success in the elections next february.