The Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, on Friday, pledged his support for the presidential ambition of the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, saying he would mobilise youths to ensure Tinubu’s victory in 2023.
Bello made the pledge when Tinubu paid him a visit in Kogi, about 72 hours after Tinubu’s emergence as the APC presidential flag-bearer.
Tinubu had, in his remarks, commended Bello, who also contested the APC presidential ticket but lost out, for his outing at the primary.
Describing Bello as his son, Tinubu said the Kogi governor “reminded us of what the nation wants to be,” adding that Bello deserved commendation for “mobilising the consciousness of the youths in the country.”
Tinubu was accompanied on the visit by Governors Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos); Bello Matawalle (Zamfara);and Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano).
A former governor of Edo State and former national chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole, was also at the meeting where Bello announced the collapse of his Presidential Campaign Council and announced the donation of the secretariat to Tinubu.
Bello said, “Today, I have collapsed my President Campaign Organisation. I am donating my campaign organisation secretariat to you. I’ve learnt a lot from the little lecture you gave to us. What elders see when they’re in the valley, the younger ones won’t see it.
“The exercise (convention/primaries) has come and gone. I will be on streets to lead the youths to ensure that we win convincingly. Never again will PDP lead this country. Thank you all my colleague governors for giving me the opportunity to learn from you.
“Senator Abdullahi Adamu (APC National Chairman) has never lost an election and we will win the 2023 election. Our convention went well and peacefully.”
Tinubu also thanked the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), for providing a level playing field for all the contestants during the APC presidential primary.
He said, “The man of the convention, the man of democracy for that day is Muhammadu Buhari. He said, ‘If you want to run, run; you want to crawl, crawl; you want to dance, dance.
“Yahaya Bello is my son; you mobilised the consciousness of the youths in the county. You reminded us of what the nation wants to be. Today, we take a very good step to say we want to work for one united country that is concerned about prosperity. Thank you, all members of Yahaya Bello Campaign Organisation. You all made a mark, you were resolute. But there’s a difference between a tiger and the lion.
“Great things were done during the convention, wanting to become the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. But it’s only one person with a Vice President.”
Tinubu also thanked the leadership of the party for ensuring that the convention ended peacefully saying, “They (the opposition) thought there would be chaos and crisis. But we saw peace. Emi lo kan; it’s my turn.”
Tinubu also hailed the Director-General of Yahaya Bello Presidential Campaign Organisation, Hafsat Abiola-Costello, saying the joy in the country was on her father, “MKO Abiola in who June 12 became public holiday.”
Tinubu narrated how it was in the house of Kudirat Abiola (Hafsat’s mother) that he found the cap with which he disguised to fled the country during the military junta.
“I’m happy to be back to save Nigeria,” he said.
