Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Ilorin on Tuesday charged the people of Kwara State to vote for him and all APC candidates in the coming general elections in order to cement the freedom from exploitation they achieved four years ago.
Asíwájú Tinubu and his entourage virtually shut down Ilorin, the state capital, as the mammoth crowd that thronged the Metropolitan Square venue of the rally spilled across the roads and all over the ancient city.
It took well over two hours for the Asíwájú train to arrive at the square from the Ilorin Airport.
Tinubu told the people that they had been enjoying freedom and progress under the leadership of Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, urging them to remain committed to the administration.
He thanked them for believing in the governor and for being committed to his re-election, and pleading that : “on February 25th, we will need you to come out. You don’t vote for anybody else, you vote for me, you vote for the APC. Vote APC across all levels – Presidential, National Assembly, Governorship and State House of Assembly elections.”
The APC Presidential candidate, again warned Nigerians never to be deceived into voting the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in next month’s election, saying a vote for the PDP would be an error that will be hard to correct.
According to him, several facts have pointed to the fact that the PDP Presidential Candidate Atiku Abubakar is only interested in the presidential race to enrich himself and his friends.
He said just like he did in the past, if given the opportunity again, Atiku would only sell Nigeria to his shady friends in the name of privatization.
He said: “You earned a favorable and great place in the history of our progressive party and of the nation when you voted for the APC to chase the PDP out of this beautiful and historic town. You kicked them out and now they want to come back.
“Do not let them back in. They only want to devour what they could not take the first time. If you give them the chance, they will strip Kwara and Nigeria bare to the bone.
“The PDP candidate in the race is well known for selling everything that has the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s name on it. If it is part of the public treasure or national patrimony, he is looking to pawn it to one of his shady partners.
“He wants to sell off your chance at a decent job, good schools, a nice home and a happy life. His aim is to sell and turn our public assets into his private profit. He wants you to go hungry so that he can feast off the abundance of the land.”
Tinubu also dwelt on the recent revelation by one of Atiku’s former aides Michael Achimugu where the former vice president himself admitted to setting up Special Purpose Vehicle companies to siphon the country’s funds.
“Before today, we used to call him Mr. Privatize. But today, we must give him a new name. One that comes from his own mouth.
“He is now Mr. SPV. From his own mouth, we have heard him admit that he and his old boss conspired to rob from the Nigerian treasury millions upon millions of dollars. They did this by using a fancy business device called an SPV, Special purpose vehicle, to hide the money.
“By his antics, Atiku has changed the meaning of SPV. It is no longer a business unit. With him, it is a money-eating monster. From henceforth, Atiku shall be known as MR. SPV. S for Stealing, P for Plunder and V for Vicious.
“For this is a vicious assault on the public funds, public welfare and on the public conscience. How can he so brazenly steal and plunder yet ask you to return him to the scene of the crime. He wants to return to the crime scene not to repent but to repeat the Stealing Plundering and Viciousness.
Kwara State Governor Abdulrasaq thanked the people of the state for the massive turn out while also urging them not to allow “those who stole your future, who could not pay your salaries and pensions to return to power.”
The rally was attended by APC National Chairman Abdullahi Adamu, Vice Presidential Candidate Kashim Shettima Director-General of the Tinubu-Shettima Campaign and Governor of Plateau Simon Lalong, Governor Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger State, APC Deputy National Chairman (North) Senator Abubakar Kyari and members of the party’s National Working Committee among others.