THE popular slogan for Nasarawa state is, “Nigeria’s Home of Solid Minerals”, but with the arrival of the Presidential candidate of the All Progressive Party, APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the state, and the massive reception accorded him today, Katsina state, which goes by the slogan of “The Home of Hospitality”, has been forced, to temporarily relinquish that title to the state of the party’s national chairman, Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, the Turaki of Keffi. Yes, through the show of solidarity and warm reception, the people of Nasarawa state have notched up the support base of Tinubu, and made the party’s chances of success more lustrous.
The Tinubu/Shetima campaign rally in Lafiya today, has come with special surprises and assurances, that would shame critics of the APC and give very strong confidence to the supporters of the party.
First is the physical presence of President Muhammadu Buhari at the rally, contrary to the hollow-hearted stories being peddled by the opposition, that Buhari is aloof and not supportive of the Asiwaju Tinubu candidature. Buhari was not only there, but acted in a manner he had not done any where since the campaign began, by holding and raising the hand of Tinubu, in a way that leaves no doubt about his support for him.
Holding his hand in a raised manner, Buhari went round the podium as the crowd cheered them up. He didn’t stop there, the President told the crowd unequivocally, in English and Hausa, that he is for Tinubu and all other APC candidates in the general election. For the avoidance of doubt, he said, Tinubu is trustworthy and one that can be relied upon, because he is honest, nationalistic and truthful. This he said, came about from his knowledge of the man for over twenty years.
The second assurance came from the national chairman of the party, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, Turakin Keffi, who reminded the crowd of the new status of Nasarawa state, which he said, courtesy of the efforts of President Muhammadu Buhari, has migrated from the position of being a mining hub, to that of an oil producing state, where oil drilling would commence, God’s willing, next month.
Indeed Nasarawa got it’s name as the home of solid minerals because of it’s large deposits of Gold, Barite, Coal, Clay, Lead-Zinc, Sault, Gemstone, Silica Sand, Iron Ore, Granite, Tantalite, Marble, Mica, Cassiterite, Limestone and Aquamarine. But through the efforts of PMB and the economic policies of the APC, today, Nasarawa is on it’s way to joining the league of oil producing states of Nigeria.
Another surprise is the compassionate picture of the President, as painted and presented to the public by the national chairman, with regards the thorny issues of naira redesign and fuel scarcity, that are collectively causing distress to the people, and directly putting almost everyone in dire difficulty. In the opposite of what the critics are saying, that the national chairman and some members of the national working committee are in support of the naira redesign and the fuel scarcity, because they are aimed at stifling the Asiwaju’s ambition, Senator Abdullahi Adamu admitted that indeed the country is going through pains, occasioned by the changes, and shares such feelings of hardship. He was therefore quick to thank the President, for his empathy in meeting with the APC governors, where he promised to look into the issues within seven days.
The reception accorded Tinubu in Nasarawa today is clearly unrivalled and the notch up is not surprising also, because Nasarawa state is the home state of the national chairman, whose slogan is Maye. As announced by the Director General of the Presidential campaign and the Governor of Plateau state, H.E.Simon Lalong, with Maye, victory is certain and indeed Sen. Abdullahi Adamu had called on the people to give APC an unprecedented vote come the general election.
In fact, long before the rally today, the Governor of the state, H.E. Abdullahi Sule, had announced that only God can stop Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu from succeeding President Muhammadu Buhari. And today, contrary to the conjecture of the critics, the President has come to confirm that himself.
The position of Governor Sule and the quality of crowd assembled today in Lafiya, have further justified the position of the APC governors in the north, who have vowed to ensure that Tinubu emerges victorious.
“APC Northern governors will use their resources to ensure that Tinubu emerges president of the country. If there is anybody that wants Tinubu to become president, it’s the Northern APC governors. Only God can stop Tinubu and A. A Sule from becoming president and governor respectively. We are determined to commit our resources and strength to conquer any form of opposition”-Gov. A A Sule of Nasarawa.
Ibrahim is the director, publicity for the APC.
