President Muhammadu Buhari says Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), will perform well as president because he understands Nigeria.
In his remarks on Thursday when the APC presidential campaign team visited Muhammad Abubakar, the Sultan of Sokoto, Buhari said Tinubu is open to people irrespective of where they are from.
“My wish is for your support and blessings. We want to win,” Buhari told the Sultan.
“He [Tinubu] understands Nigeria very well and he is ever supportive of people wherever they may have come from in Nigeria.
I have gone with him to Nasarawa and Katsina and I am here with him today. I will also go with him to any other place. He is the candidate of our party. He emerged from a clearly transparent primary election. We, therefore, have to follow him as the flagbearer of the party.”
In his speech, Tinubu also sought the support of the Sultan of Sokoto.
“We want to win election, and that’s what we’ve come for — to seek your blessing and endorsement,” the APC candidate said.
And it is something you cannot reject. I will request because the president and commander-in-chief of the armed forces is on seat. How can he be here and you’ll reject?”
Responding, the Sultan said he has received and will continue to receive candidates who seek the blessings of the throne, adding that he is also praying for peaceful and credible elections.
Speaking to the crowd that gathered for the rally, Tinubu said if elected, he would conclude the “cleaning” started by the Buhari administration.
“In 2015, the new leaders came to sweep the dirt away with a broom. But the dirt is still left on the ground. We said we need to clean some more. I applied to be the vacuum-cleaner so we can clean the dirt,” he said.
“We promise we will work hard. We will eliminate corruption. We will eradicate the madness called kidnapping. We will work hard to clean Nigeria of rubbish.
“We promise you better education, job opportunities, and a better market for our agricultural produce that will make you and your children happy.”
In his remarks, Kashim Shettima, Tinubu’s running mate, said the APC presidential candidate is a friend of the north.
The reward for goodness is goodness. He has supported many of our people from Shehu Musa Yar’Adua to Atiku Abubakar in 2007, Nuhu Ribadu in 2011, President Buhari in 2015 and in 2019,” he said.
“We are good people. We are trustworthy. He supported our people; it is our time to reciprocate. We should come together and acquaint ourselves as people of honour who keep their word.”