Tinubu/Shettima candidacy: Reconciliation of Osinbajo, Amaechi, other presidential aspirants still in progress — Adamu
…Says rot, debt of N7.5bn inherited from Buni-led CECPC
…Buhari plans inauguration of APC presidential campaign council today
…To unveil Tinubu’s manifesto, policy document
The National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Abdullahi Adamu has said reconciliation of presidential aspirants of the party, who lost in the primary, to join forces with the party’s effort to emerge victorious in the 2023 presidential election is still a work-in-progress.
It has been observed that some key party members including the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Senate President, Ahmad Lawan and former Transportation Minister, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, who were frontline contestants of the race have been observed to be silent over the party’s push for the presidential contest.
Adamu who spoke at a media parley on Thursday in Abuja, however said while he could not state particularly the position of these Aspirants, yet confirmed their relevance to the process was significant to boost the chances of the Tinubu/Shettima candidacy.
On the commitment of Osinbajo, Lawan and Amaechi, Adamu said, “To the best of our knowledge, they are keying into this project. However, each of the aspirant at the convention is still alive and as journalists, you owe it a duty having observed or having the state of mind that requires knowing where they stand today.
“It will be a bit absurd for me to start talking to them about things I feel you have not seen or heard from them. As for reconciliation, it is still a work-in-progress and we have been doing it. We have been talking to them and these guys are still very much around the political space. You can ask them whatever your observations are.”
The silence of frontline contestants over the party’s presidential race for the 2023 General Elections had generated concerns.
While Osinbajo was excluded from the APC Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) list which surfaced, both Lawan and Amaechi were enlisted as advisers.
….Says rot, debt of N7.5bn inherited from Buni-led CECPC
Adamu speaking on efforts to reorganise the party, said huge debt amidst disorder was what the new party leadership inherited from the Gov. Mai Mala Buni-led Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) which steered the affairs of the party for about two years before being forced out following a special elective national convention in March.
“The fact of the matter is, go round the secretariat, there is no one person who has come here who is a member of my family – primary or secondary.
“When we came here, we came to reorganise and reposition the party. You don’t see the party in a state of mess and just because you want to be decent because you don’t want to offend anybody, you allow the rot that you inherited to go on.
“We came and met the party where people were fixing all manner of things, the legal bill alone was over N7.5 billion. We came to find that here, everybody was like on his own.
“Everyone was just doing what they wanted to do, with no control; no system, no due process and just because you don’t want to be accused of anything, you just allow that kind of thing to go on. I am not that brand. My DNA has terrible allergies for that and I am sure most, if not all of my members in the NWC, share in this.
“So, we found the necessity to reorganise the whole place and only God knows the extent of appreciation of the public that we got. Of course, every situation of change has its victims and ours will not be an exception.
“We didn’t do anything with any bias or prejudice. The main thing is the interest of the party, to reposition it in an election year. We will be abused, we will be falsely accused. Of course, we are humans, I am not saying we couldn’t have made one or two mistakes but the fact of the matter is that there is nothing we have done deliberately just to promote our own feathers.
“Recently, we tried to introduce table payment. We know we don’t have 200 people working here but if you go to the payroll, you have over 200 people. Who are they? How did they come on our payroll? What are they doing for us? What is the nature of their jobs? Where are their letters of appointment? What qualifications do they have? You don’t because you want to avoid negative press and then not do this. We did everything in good faith and I don’t have any qualms about it,” he said.
Recall Adamu had on April 22 ordered all departmental directors at the ‘Buhari House’ national secretariat of the party to proceed on indefinite suspension.
…Buhari to inaugurate APC presidential campaign council, unveil Tinubu’s manifesto
Meanwhile, as it has been officially confirmed that President Muhammadu Buhari would today (Friday) inaugurate the Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) of the party. It has been disclosed that the manifesto of the APC presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu would prioritise “national security, economy, agriculture, power, oil and gas, transportation and education.”
Director, Media and Publicity of the APC Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), Mr Bayo Onanuga in a statement on Thursday night said the former Lagos Governor has his focus on national security in his 80-page manifesto set for release on Friday (today).
According to the statement, President Muhammadu Buhari will also lead Governors, National Working Committee members and other leaders of the APC to the inauguration of the Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) of the party on Friday (today) afternoon at the State House Banquet Hall in Abuja where the manifesto would also be formally unveiled.
“At the event which signals the formal launch of the party’s campaign season, the Presidential Candidate of the party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his running mate Senator Kashim Shettima will unveil their Action Plan for the transformation of the country.
“The 80-page document, containing multi-sectoral policy options, is tagged Renewed Hope 2023 – Action Plan for a Better Nigeria,” the statement read partly.
According to the document, the former Lagos State governor will prioritise National Security, Economy, Agriculture, Power, Oil and Gas, Transportation and Education, when elected as President Buhari’s successor next February.
Tinubu also outlines policy options for Healthcare, the Digital Economy, Women Empowerment, Judicial Reform, Federalism/Decentralisation of Power and Foreign Policy.
He promises huge investments in Sports Entertainment and Culture, Youth Empowerment and Entrepreneurship, to expand jobs and opportunities for millions of Nigerian youths.
Tinubu also promises to continue and expand the massive Social Investment Programs of the Buhari administration.
In his foreword to the document, Tinubu says that his plans were conceived after travelling the length and breadth of the country and listening to people from different life strata.
“Our nation’s history affirms that our people constitute our most valuable treasure. Whether the hardworking farmer, the industrious market woman, the dynamic young entrepreneur or the hopeful child, Nigerian people rank among the best anywhere. They excel in every aspect of human endeavour when given a fair chance.
“Senator Shettima and I have traversed every part of our beloved nation, listening to the concerns of our fellow citizens. Young and old, poor and rich, educated and uneducated, Christian and Muslim; all have expressed their views and concerns. People do not seek superficial answers to hard questions. Nor do they want the broken, unimaginative, failed promises repackaged and fed to them again. They want true and innovative solutions which address the challenging realities of today.
“Our party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) was founded on the premise that the people of our beloved country are entitled to the benefits that only progressive good governance can procure,” he said.
According to the APC Presidential candidate, having listened to the yearnings of the people, he is emboldened to change their stories for good the same way he did in Lagos State as Governor for eight years while putting together the best team.
“When I was Governor of Lagos, my team and I developed institutions and policies that changed the face of the state. It became a safe place for its residents and an engine of prosperity for all those willing to work in pursuit of their economic dreams.
“What my team and I achieved in Lagos, together we all can achieve for Nigeria. Our objective is to foster a new society based on shared prosperity, tolerance, compassion, and the unwavering commitment to treating each citizen with equal respect and due regard,” he said.
Tinubu notes that the total transformation of Nigeria can be achieved, by building on the foundation laid by the present APC administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
On security which he affirms to be the “bedrock of a prosperous and democratic society”, Tinubu says his administration will make it a fundamental responsibility to protect the lives and property of its citizens by mobilising the country’s national security, military and law enforcement assets to protect all Nigerians from danger and from the fear of danger.
“The current government has made important inroads. When it came into office, the Buhari government met a situation in which terrorists had planted their flags and claimed Nigerian territory as their own. The Buhari government eliminated these incursions against our national sovereignty, bringing peace to many areas. Thousands of formerly displaced people have returned home to rebuild their lives,” he said.
Recalling meeting a tough security problem when he assumed office as Governor of Lagos State in 1999, Tinubu revealed the herculean task he surmounted.
“When I entered office as Governor of Lagos, the state was crime-ridden. Safety was uncertain. The population was fearful. With bold, no-nonsense crime prevention reform and creative institution building, we won back our state. It became a safe and secure place to live and do business. I shall bring the same determined, problem-solving spirit to solving insecurity at the national level.
“Our administration will be committed to permanently securing the safety, freedom and prosperity of all Nigerians,” he said.
To achieve this, Tinubu promises in his Action Plan to further equip the armed forces with more modern hardware and needed technological support. He also says police will be reformed to fully take responsibility for internal security.
“Police reform will be focused on positioning the institution to better deliver on its primary duties of community policing and maintaining law and order through crime fighting and prevention.
“Police personnel will be freed from extraneous duties such as VIP security and guard duties. VIP Security and provision of security for government buildings, installations and other critical assets will be transferred to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). The NSCDC shall be evaluated and reformed to be better integrated with our internal security apparatus,” he said.
On the nation’s economy, the former Lagos State Governor assured Nigerians that his administration will focus on the massive and unprecedented fourth industrial revolution, helping the youth to be transformed from job seekers to job providers.
Recall that NewsDirect had earlier reported that indications emerged that President Buhari will on Friday unveil the manifesto and policy document of the presidential candidate of APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and inaugurate the long awaited Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council.
NewsDirect had reported the release of a fresh list of the composition of the party’s presidential campaign council, a development that trailed the former 422-member list which generated controversies and resentments, informing reworking of its membership structure.
