The APC presidential candidate for the 2023 elections, Ahmed Bola Tinubu, has urged Nigerians to make the best choice among the parties’ flag bearers as they head to the poll in less than five months.
Tinubu said the nation should learn from its mistakes by voting wisely and be ready to make difficult decisions with their ballot.
In a message he sent on Wednesday September 28 from Europe where he has reportedly travelled to with his running mate, Kashim Shettima, Tinubu called on the nation “to favour reason over sentiment” when electing their next president.
He said the nation could not afford to make a wrong choice in the next year’s presidential election.
“Today marks the official commencement of 2023 presidential election campaign activities across the country. I invite all Nigerians to join me and His Excellency Senator Kashim Shettima on this exciting and important journey as we set out a shared vision of renewed hope for the people of our dear country, Nigeria.
“We will, in the weeks and months ahead, be taking our dream of a functional, safe, secure and prosperous Nigeria to every part of Nigeria, and we will continue to put forward our plan to lead this country towards its best future.”
The former Lagos State governor noted that the nation stood at a threshold of history, and like almost every other nation in the world, faced significant challenges.
According to him, citizens had been responsible for some of the challenges, while others were consequences of factors beyond their control.
“We must be wise, we must be discerning, and we must choose progress. We must favour reason over sentiment.
“I am prepared and ready, with my running mate, to provide the leadership that will inspire our country to greater glory with new thinking, innovative ideas and vision,” he stated.
Tinubu made his first official campaign with the statement as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) allowed political parties to kick-start their campaigns for the next election on Wednesday.
The APC had postponed the inauguration of its presidential campaign council after announcing a 422-member team on Saturday. Many party leaders, however, kicked against the list over allegation of marginalisation. The party also postponed its campaign kick-off.
But the two other leading presidential candidates, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) engaged in campaigns at programmes in which they featured on Wednesday.
While Atiku attended and spoke about his plans at his book launch in Abuja, Obi was in Jos, Plateau State for a rally in his honour. He reeled out his plans for the country at the event.
The PDP also inaugurated its presidential campaign council in Abuja to climax its preparedness for a full campaign.
