*President to commission Lekki Deep Sea Port in Lagos
*Youths, campaign group rally support for APC candidate
Segun James in Lagos and Ibrahim Oyewale in Lokoja
Cross River State Governor, Professor Ben Ayade, has declared the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu as the only presidential candidate with the capacity to move Nigeria forward.
The governor, who is the APC senatorial candidate for Cross River North made the declaration at a rally in Ogoja, the political capital of Cross River North senatorial district at the weekend, even as APC youths and campaign groups rallied support for Tinubu.
This is as President Muhammadu Buhari, has elected to lead the party’s presidential campaign rally to Bauchi today, even though he is expected in Lagos today also to commission some signature projects, including the Lekki Deal Sea Port, a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) venture, involving the Federal and Lagos State governments and a private company, Tolaram.
Speaking at the rally where hundreds of former members of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) defected to the APC, Ayade urged the people to vote for the APC from top to bottom to reciprocate his achievements in Ogoja.
“I built the first Vitaminized Rice Mill in Ogoja. For the first time, a state polytechnic is coming to Ogoja. For the first time, Ogoja has four Commissioners. Ogoja is my home,” he said.
The governor argued that justice, equity, competence and capacity to deliver demanded that Tinubu and Otu become president and governor respectively.
According to him, “Tinubu can fix Nigeria. Tinubu comes with experience, he is an experiential architect with eyes-on and hands-on. He is a man, who has got capacity; he has been invited at this time to do all he can to see to the growth of Nigeria.
“I, therefore, ask every person here to vote for Tinubu and also ask everyone here to please, tell every Nigerian to vote for Tinubu. It is the turn of southern Nigeria to produce a president. Nigeria must remain one and the indivisibility of Nigeria is based on the principle of justice.
“It is also based on that sense of justice that I ask you to vote Distinguished Senator (Prince Otu) as the next Governor of Cross River state. It is the turn of Southern Cross River to produce governor, North and central having produced theirs. Prince Otu has the capacity, he has the intellect, he has integrity, he has content, he has every single element that qualifies one to be governor.”
Further on why Tinubu should be voted into office, Ayade said, the former Lagos State governor would make the infrastructural and economic development of Cross River a priority if elected.
“We are supporting Tinubu because if you listened to his speech on the day he won the primaries, the only thing he mentioned was the Bakassi Deep Seaport. He said he was going to ensure that the Bakassi Deep Seaport was completed under his first term. If he does that, Bakassi Deep Seaport with a dual carriage road and the superhighway, Cross River will be the next Lagos.
“So supporting Tinubu is total because if he could fix a populous Lagos with calmness and decency, moving to the 5th biggest economy in Africa, then he can fix Nigeria. Let’s support Tinubu to become president of Nigeria so that the Bakassi Deep Seaport can be constructed.”
On his part, Otu appealed to the people to vote for him and his running mate, Hon. Peter Odey, an indigene of the area, promising to consolidate on the gains of the Ayade administration.
However, Buhari, who is expected to lead the presidential and governorship campaign of the APC in Bauchi, according to a campaign programme released by the secretary of the Presidential Campaign Council, James Faleke, would commission the Lekki Deal Sea Port, a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) venture, involving the Federal and Lagos State governments and a private company, Tolaram.
Buhari, the programme stated, would be at the rally scheduled to hold between 8.30 and11.30 am, taking place earlier than other rallies, while he is expected in Lagos on a two-day visit.
Buhari will also commission the 32-metric tons per-hour Lagos Rice Mill, one of the largest in the world and the 18.75-kilometer 6-lane rigid-pavement Eleko Junction to Epe Expressway.
He is expected to commission the first phase of the iconic Blue Line on Tuesday, as well as the John Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History.
Relatedly, Tinubu is taking his campaign to Abia State on Tuesday and Ogun State on Wednesday, while his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima, would be in Benue and Taraba on Thursday to canvass for votes.
While the Benue rally is billed for between 10 a.m and 1pm, Taraba’s will take place between 2.30pm and 4.30pm.
The campaign train is scheduled to return to Abuja on Friday for the launch of the All Farmers Progressive Association and commissioning of tractors for members by the vice-presidential candidate, Kashim Shettima,
Same day, Shettima will hold a Town Hall meeting with Livestock Development Group.
The APC in its Action Plan, has pledged to consolidate on President Buhari’s investments in agriculture by setting up commodity exchanges and agricultural hubs in Nigeria’s six geo-political zones.
Zamfara State is to host the last rally of the week on Saturday in Gusau, the capital.
Meanwhile, Nigerian youths have been urged to look up to Tinubu to ensure a new Nigeria that would cater to the interest of all.
Spokesman of the APC Youth Directorate, Aliyu Audu, said this in Lagos at an interactive session with the media, noting that, “We have gathered here today to espouse the influence of the youth on how to expand the lofty dreams of our youths.
Citing some of the achievements of Tinubu as Lagos governor, Audu noted that the comatose economy inherited by him was transformed through reforms that brought about a new tax regime in the State.
He reiterated that a new chapter would be birthed through Tinubu’s presidency especially, for the youth, saying, “We can collectively achieve the dream if we all come together.”
At the same time, Chairman of Tinubu/Shettima Grassroots Independent Campaign Council (ICC), Dr Genji Abubarka Sanusi, has described Tinubu as best option that would not be a learner if elected president.
Speaking at the inauguration of the ICC, Zonal, Federal constituency, Local government Coordinators, Directors and members of the campaign council in Lokoja weekend, Sanusi explained that the country was at crossroads and it was only the Tinubu/Shettima ticket that could solve all the problems for now.
Noting that Nigerians could not afford to miss the opportunity, he said it was also why all the stakeholders were drumming support for the APC candidate.
