The Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, has declared that his vision is to become the President of a united Nigeria.
Tinubu disclosed this, on Thursday, when he paid a courtesy call on Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State at the Governor’s Office Executive Council Chamber, Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan, the state capital.
Tinubu in his remark, thanked Governor Makinde for the hospitality and courage by eschewing politics in matters that concern the interest of the people at large, saying it was a great honour for him and his team to be there on a campaign day which is of a different nature for him.
He said: “It is not easy to take the opposition entourage into your shade. You have demonstrated the characteristics of a good leader, persevering individual, hardworking regardless of political divide and respectful in every aspect of your behaviour that we have seen.
Tinubu noted that the visit was to honour and thank Makinde for the good job he had been doing in Oyo State, intimate him of his (Tinubu’s) visions and plans for the country, canvass for votes among the people of the state and also solicit the support of Makinde and the state as a whole, in order to realise his presidential ambition. ”
He said: “I am aspiring to be the President of a united Nigeria, one country. For that sake, political divides and things that separate us must be clearly taken off our way.
“That is why my first point of call is to visit the Chief Executive and Chief Security Officer of the state. And that is why I came to give you an insight into why we are in Oyo State”, he stated.
While affirming that it was time to look at politics from a different prism and remove all antagonistic tendencies, Tinubu expressed the confidence that he was the most qualified candidate out of all those running for President and solicited the support and endorsement of the governor.
In his response, Governor Makinde welcomed Tinubu to Oyo State for his campaign, declaring that things had been put in place to ensure that the campaign was peaceful and so that Tinubu could pass his message to the people of the state.
Makinde commended Tinubu for all he had done for the country, saying he (Makinde) and the other G5 governors, christened Integrity Governors, are determined to choose the unity of the country in the place of their individual political aspirations.
He stated: “We don’t play politics with governance here in Oyo state. Ex-Governor Gboyega Oyetola and I worked together to solve a problem that has lingered for many years We believe that politicians, like players will come and go but our country will remain.
“We the G5 Integrity Governors are saying if we have to choose between the unity of this country and our political aspirations, we will choose the unity of this country. We salute our colleagues from the North too who aligned with your emergence because they also made sacrifices,” the governor asserted.
While wishing Tinubu well in his aspiration, Makinde called for inclusiveness in the way the country is run, noting that political parties would fade away but the people and the country would remain.
“One thing I want you to take away from this meeting is that, come February 25th, we will vote for equity, justice, fairness and unity of this country,” the governor concluded.
Tinubu was accompanied on the visit by chieftains of the APC: Bisi Akande; Minister of Youths and Sports Development, Sunday Dare; Governor Dapo Abiodun (Ogun); Ex-Governor Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti) and Ex-Governor Gboyega Oyetola (Osun).
Others in his entourage are: Musiliu Obanikoro; Former Speaker, House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole; Senator Babajide Omoworare; Chief Zacchaeus Adelabu; Senator Soji Akanbi; Mutiu Aare and Dotun Babayemi, among others.
Olusola Akintonde
