Tinubu campaign: VIPs hit Plateau with 30 private, chartered jets

Over 20 governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress and several other party chieftains arrived at the Jos airport on Tuesday with over 30 private and chartered jets to witness the presidential campaign inauguration of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and his running mate, Alhaji Kashim Shettima.

Data obtained from aviation authorities showed that the Yakubu Gowon Airport recorded over 95 aircraft arrivals and departures of private and commercial planes which conveyed the APC bigwigs, top government officials, and other Very Important Personalities in and out of the Plateau State capital.

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While about 17 private jets and helicopters arrived at the airport for the august political gathering, over 15 regional jets and turboprops also touched down in the aerodrome.

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According to the airport and airspace data obtained by newsmen showed some of the luxury private jets which touched down at the airport are: Canadian-made Bombardier Challenger 601 operated by Air First Hospitality with an American registration number N320MK, Hawker Siddeley HS 125 operated by Trobell with registration number 5N-ALG, and Learjet 45 operated by Max Air with registration number 5N-BLW.

Others are Challenger 601 operated by West Link with registration number 5N-PDA, United Aviation’s HS125 with registration number 5N-AMM, Gyro Air’s HS125 with registration number 5N-AUB, and Global Aviation’s HS125 with registration number 5NBNM.

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The list also includes Triaxell’s Gulfstream IV with registration number 5N-PZE, Nest Oil’s Gulfstream IV with registration number 5N-BYO, and Mounthill Aviation’s Learjet 45 with registration number 5N-BZS, IZY Air’s Challenger 601 with registration number 5N-1ZY, Dornier Aviation’s Beechcraft B190 with registration number 5N-BYW, and Dornier Aviation D328 with registration 5N-BYN

Some of the regional jets that landed in Jos also include Max Air Embraer E135 with registration 5N-BXK, Air Peace Embraer E145, Jet Support Embraer E135, and Aero Tak’s E135 with registration number 5NLRK.

Others are Jet support’s Embraer E145 with registration number 5N-BZT, KS R3 Global’s Embraer E145 with registration number 5N-LOS, Jaz Aviation’s Aviation’s Embraer 135 with registration number 5N-JLA, ValueJet’s Bombardier Challenger CRJ9 and Max Air’s Boeing 737 plane.

Others include Xejet’s Embraer E145 with registration 5N-BZN, Azman Air’s Boeing 737-300 with registration number 5N-AIS, Arik Air’s Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 with registration number 5N-BKW.

The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), was also at the event. Some of the aircraft in the Presidential Air Fleet are PAF Boeing 737 with registration number 5N-FGT, PAF Nigerian Air Force helicopter with registration number HIPO04

Also on the ground at the airport was PAF helicopter with registration number 5N-FGI, NAF aircraft F900 with registration number NGR961.

Findings show that the airport lacks adequate parking space for the high number of aircraft arriving in the state capital. As such, some of the aircraft were forced to fly to Abuja to park, which is just about 30 minutes flight from Plateau. It made it easier for the pilots of the VIP jets to return to pick up their passengers.

This was after an old and unused aircraft hangar at the airport was used for parking by some of the arriving aircraft.

However, Tinubu’s presidential inauguration recorded more private and charter jets than that of People’s Democratic Party’s Atiku Abubakar where about 15 private and chartered jets landed in Uyo airport, Akwa Ibom State, for the formal inauguration of the party’s presidential campaign.

Jos stadium

Meanwhile, Tinubu’s presidential campaign was held inside Rwang Pam stadium with party chieftains expressing confidence that the party’s standard bearer would coast home to victory in the 2023 poll.

Our correspondent who was at the Jos airport observed the aircraft which brought dignitaries from different parts of the country to the state capital from where they were moved in motorcades to the Rwang Pam stadium, the venue of the campaign.

Prominent Nigerians at the rally included the Senate President, Ahmed Lawal; governors of Cross River, Ben Ayade; Kaduna, Nasir El-Rufai; Yobe, Mai Buni; Imo, Hope Uzodimma; Plateau, Simon Lalong; Kogi, Yahaya Bello; Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa), and Lagos State Deputy Governor, Femi Hamzat.

Others were former Bauchi State governor, Mohammed Abubakar, former Ekiti State governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, former governor of Borno State, Modu Ali-Sheriff, and former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi.

Also at the rally were the APC presidential candidate’s wife, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, and Hajiya Nana Shettima, wife of the vice presidential candidate, who both addressed the crowd, and Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, the wife of Governor Sanwoolu of Lagos, ministers, and members of the APC National Working Committee.

At the event, Buhari assisted by the APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu, handed over the APC flag to the presidential candidate, who in his speech promised to neutralise terrorists and recalibrate the nation’s security architecture.

The President equally promised to lead the party’s campaign for the 2023 presidential election.