What aspirants told delegates at APC Primary convention

By Wisdom Deji-Folutile

The aspirants vying for the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress at the Eagle Square, Abuja, have delivered their addresses to delegates at the party primary elections on Tuesday evening.

Here are some excerpts from some of the most prominent addresses delivered:

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Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu – I am a unifying man

Asiwaju Tinubu, an APC chieftain and a frontrunner in the primary elections, said:

“As President Buhari has said, our party’s objective must be to triumph in next year’s general election at all levels. The candidate you select must deliver victory in the national election and have the personal gravity and national recognition to pull us through to victory in the states and local general elections as well. 

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“(The candidate) must have the experiences, knowledge and extensive personal contact to steer the diverse, complicated Nigeria through this challenging period in a dynamic world. The other candidates are all good men and women but I sincerely believe that I am the person this moment calls for. 

“I have the experience. I led the transformation of Lagos from a dangerous unwelcoming place in 1999 to a clean, safe and vibrant place and the fifth largest economy in Africa today. I am a serious man with a serious purpose and I will use all that I know and all our abilities to benefit our people

“I am a unifying man. I step forward because I believe I can lead our party towards a brighter future. 

“I humbly ask you to nominate me as the party’s presidential candidate because I am confident, competent, courageous and ready to start from day one.”

Tunde Bakare – I am not stepping down for anyone

After calling on delegates to observe a moment of silence for the victims of the church shooting in Owo, Ondo State, Bakare said,

“God forbid that we lead without being compassionate and being sensitive to the pains of our citizens.”

He continued, “Thank God that I have a living witness in this arena tonight. 11 years ago, on January 15, 2011, I received a call from the then General Muhammadu Buhari (retd) inviting me to be his running mate in the 2011 presidential elections on the platform of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), one of the predecessors of our great party the All Progressives Congress. 

“In convincing mee to accept his invitation despite my initial hesitation, our leader, now President Muhammadu Buhari said that he chose me because, having examined my records and trajectory, he was convinced that should the need arise, he could confidently hand Nigeria to my care assured that I could hold the nation together. 

“Mr President, dear delegates, the time is now and the hour has come. Tonight, I am not here to step down for anyone. I respect all aspirants and have said wonderful things about them, including Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. But I am here by the grace of God to step up and contest to become the 16th president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” the cleric said.

READ ALSO: APC Presidential primary: Full text of Tinubu’s speech at convention

“Someone may be asking me today, ‘what is your experience in governance’. Experienced people have brought us to where we are. Many of the experienced people have padded budgets, and have introduced corruption into the system. It is time to raise a new generation, a new breed without greed, and radical opposition to corruption. 

“For many of these contestants, time will tell when EFCC is after them. By the grace of the living God, we do not need just experience. We need a genius. A genius is a man who does the right thing for the first time without precedence. I praise God for President Buhari and everyone in leadership today, but to take our nation forward, we need more than experience, we need genius.”

Ahmed Lawan – tonight we are making history

“Your excellency, tonight we are making history. Next year, 29th May 2023, Mr. President your tenure would have been a full cycle. 

“My belief is there cannot be any higher responsibility than electing the president that will lead this country beyond 2023. So I, therefore, appeal to you to look very closely. Ensure that we elect someone who will ensure that the achievement so far by our administration is consolidated. 

“I am of the parliament. I come from the parliament. I am a parliamentarian having spent 23 years in the National Assembly.

“Having chaired strategic communities of agriculture and education. Having chaired very strategic committees of agriculture and education. Having chaired the very important oppositional committee and having served as chairman of the senate committee of defence. Having served as the majority leader of the Senate, and serving as the president of the senate by the grace of God, I am eminently qualified. Delegates, let me tell you: worldwide, developed democracies are governed by parliamentarians.”

Citing examples of past and present US leaders, he said he had acquired the experience and learned a lot from President Muhammadu Buhari.

Kayode Fayemi – I am stepping down for Bola Ahmed Tinubu

Yemi Osinbajo – You cannot wish this country well and vote for someone you don’t believe in

After a raucous reception from the crowd, Yemi Osinbajo said:

“You cannot wish this country well and vote for someone you don’t believe in. So our dear delegates, when you vote tonight, know that your votes carry the answers to the prayers for our country and our future. 

“Over the past several weeks, I have gone the length and breathe of this country. I have engaged with delegates in the 36 states of Nigeria. You have told me your hopes, fears and dreams. We have reasoned together. I have also served for 7 years as Vice President.

“Our circumstances will not allow the next leader of our country to learn on the job. I will be ready from day one.”

Rotimi Amaechi – Don’t assess us by how much money we bring here

Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi said in his address:

“I want to tell Nigerians and the delegates that are here: don’t vote for me if I am not qualified. 

“Your excellency, I am the most experienced of all the candidates. I was elected speaker of the Rivers State house of assembly and I served for two terms. While Serving as Speaker, I was the chairman of the state speakers of Nigeria twice. 

“After, I became governor of rivers state, serving for two terms. In the course of my service as governor, I was elected chairman of governor’s forum twice. By the grace of God, your excellency you appointed me as the minister of transportation. Again, I served twice. You appointed me the DG of your campaign. Again, I served twice. The first Nigerian in the history of Nigeria, to have in conjunction with others, led a campaign that removed a sitting government to bring in the opposition.”

After mentioning his achievements as governor, he said:

“My expectation, sir, is that all those who came here to speak should have told Nigerians what they have done in their states. Judge me by my work. Please delegates, assess us by our contributions. 

“Don’t assess us by how much we bring here. Because if it is by how much we bring here ask all of us, what is the source of our income. How did we get this money? The problem of the Nigerian state is all of us. Nigerian politicians will come here and talk to you and bring out money. Four years after they will repeat the same thing and we will believe them. 

“Don’t vote for me if I lie to you. Don’t vote for me if I did not perform. But I have performed.”

Rochas Okorocha – Everyone contesting in this election made their wealth from government

If we keep doing politics the same old way, we shall keep getting the same old results.

“I hate injustice, and I hate poverty. I have a covenant with God that when he blesses me I will bless others. Ladies and Gentlemen, my insistence in politics and all my travails after building this party, give me every reason to quit politics. But when I remember the poor and needy, our nation bleeding, the insurgency, I have reason to come back.

“I am not here for primitive accumulation of wealth. I am here for one thing: to save the lives of the numerous poor Nigerians while uniting this nation.

“All this political jingoism which is going on here does not address the matter before us. I don’t want anybody to step down for me if you cannot step down the suffering of the masses of Nigeria. I am qualified in the three arms of government. To you, my delegates, thank God that the power is not in the hands of the high and mighty. It is in your hand. You must think twice before you cast this vote.

“I hear every aspirant saying ‘I will, I will, I will’. I don’t say I will, I say ‘I have done it’.

“The truth is everyone contesting in this election today, it is Government that made them. None of them made wealth before governance. So if they give you money, it is government money. I, Rochas, was Rochas before politics.”