The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, yesterday at the party Presidential campaign rally in Zamfara dismissed the alleged frosty relationship between him and President Muhammadu Buhari.
Tinubu labeled the rumour baseless and untrue.
Tinubu, with whom were the National Chairman of the party, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, and Governors Bello Matawalle (Zamfara), Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi) and Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna), told the rally that his support for President Buhari was “unalloyed and enduring”.
He promised to tackle the various problems bedeviling the state and enhance its agricultural productivity.
In his prepared speech which he could not read because of the crowd, Tinubu said: “I have supported President Buhari even before his first day in office. I will continue to be his supporter and friend after his last day in office.”
Commending the President for offering selfless and courageous service to the nation, Tinubu noted that “he (Buhari) tackled the problems other leaders ran from. He has earned a place in history that cannot be denied.
“I have said this before and will say it again now: when the true history of this moment is written, President Buhari shall be treated very kindly because of his contributions to the nation.”
The APC candidate called the opposition misguided politicians who don’t want the greatness of the country to happen or to last.
“Their vision for Nigeria is the vision of one who cannot see. They seek to enrich themselves by making you poor. They want to eat everything so that you might go hungry. They want to own everything but leave you with nothing,” he said.
“We stand here today to affirm that our vision for a greater Nigeria will triumph over their blind vision for a broken Nigeria. Remember where there is blind vision, there is also blind ambition.
“We will not allow their selfish games to overtake you. President Buhari has done his part to free Nigeria from its mean grip. Now we must do our part by freeing you from the selfish plans they have for you and our beloved land.
“Do not let those others fool you into returning to the past where you had no hope and had no say regarding the life you shall live and the future you shall enter.
“The APC remains the best and only hope for a more prosperous and peaceful nation.”
He thanked the people of the State and key party leaders for the warm welcome and their continued support for the APC.
Assuring the people of his readiness to address the challenges faced by the people of Zamfara State, he pledged to consolidate on the gains recorded by both President Buhari and Governor Matawalle in tackling the banditry in the state.
He said:”If Allah blesses us to win this election, we will not relent until we beat this problem.
“My running mate has battled Boko Haram. As governor of Lagos, I too have fought kidnappers and violent criminals. We will use our experience and our vision to defeat the wrongdoers.
“My security plan will empower all branches of security forces. There will be more personnel and we shall improve their ability to identify, pursue and stop the evildoers. We will use modern air and ground technology to trace and capture these criminals.”
The APC candidate also promised to turn around the agricultural fortunes of the state and develop other natural resources found in the state.
“Zamfara State has great deposits of natural resources. My economic plan is to closely cooperate with the state government to attract the right type of investment in mining.
“This investment will not exploit the people of Zamfara. Instead, it will open the door to safer mining, better jobs and increased economic growth for the state.”
APC National Chairman Senator Adamu and Governor Matawalle, who also spoke at the rally, charged residents of the state to massively support Tinubu, given his good plans for the state and Nigeria.
Before attending the rally, Tinubu had visited the Emir of Gusau, Ibrahim Bello, who conferred the title of Wakilin Raya Karkara (Ambassador for Rural Transformation) on him.
Also at the rally were former governor of Sokoto State, Senator Aliyu Wamakko, and three former Zamfara State governors – Senator Sani Yerima, Alhaji Mahmuda Shinkafi and Senator Abdulaziz Yari, among other APC chieftains.
The rally was also attended by former Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen Tukur Buratai (rtd), APC National Women Leader, Dr Betta Edu, and Alhaji Ibrahim Kabir Masar, among others.