The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has assured that he is few steps to the presidency. He made this assertion in an interaction with Islamic leaders from the famous Tijaniyya sect in Kano, where he told them that he had few steps to become the next Nigerian President.
He said with the prayers of the Islamic leaders which God has answered, he was a few steps to become the next president.
“To many of you (Ulama’s), we spoke and you offered me prayers. You can be proud that I am standing before you with only a few steps left to become the President. So your prayer is answered,” he said.
Tinubu, who was apparently reacting to the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar who was recently quoted as saying Northerners needed to vote him rather than Yoruba or Igbo, said he (Atiku) had shut himself out of the race.
“Between all of us running, we are three now left. One just failed the most important part of the examination. Are you a unifier or a divider? He said I’m from the North. You are a divider,” he said.
He gave total assurance to fix and place the nation on the path of rapid development and growth in terms of economy and industrialization, among others.
The APC presidential flag bearer said the opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, spent 16 years and $16 billion but couldn’t fix the nation’s electricity which he said was a driver of industrialization and wealth of a nation.
“Can you industrialize a nation without electricity? Even if you say you start a bit of industry that industry will work only on one leg. To reproduce, enjoy life and normal trading business will be too expensive, therefore you cannot have a competitive market.
“I am reminding you that you don’t need a party who had served 16 years and forgotten that electricity is the only driver of industrialization and wealth of any nation. They spent $16 billion and we are still paying for estimated billing.
“I promise to give you 100 per cent in Nigeria than even in Dubai where you have 50 per cent,” he said.
I’ll give Nigerians full attention, not half from Dubai, Tinubu hits Atiku.
Tinubu also said he would devote all of his time and energy to Nigeria’s service.
Recall that the former vice-president, Atiku Abubakar, had spent most of his time in Dubai after the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, declared President Muhammadu Buhari winner of the 2019 election.
The former Lagos governor said he would focus on confronting and surmounting Nigeria’s pressing challenges.
Similarly, APC Vice Presidential candidate and former governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima, slammed Atiku over his inability to unify his party, while aspiring to become the President to unite the country.
Shettima said Atiku was the former Vice President for eight years but noted nothing is on ground to show for it, even in his home state, Adawama, where the road to his home town was completed by President Muhammadu Buhari.
On his part, Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje urged the Islamic leaders to pray for the duo to succeed in the forthcoming elections.
Meanwhile, the Leader of the Tijjaniyya sect in Kano, Khalifa Bashir Tijjani Usman in a position paper read in English by Engineer Ali Sani Shehu, said they prayed for Tinubu’s emergence as the next president.
He, however, requested that if Tinubu emerged the next President, he should improve on security, infrastructural projects, education, health, farming activities, job creation, and reflect on federal character principle for appointments, among others, in the country.