By Olukayode Babalola

SDP Senatorial candidate for Nasarawa West Senatorial District, Alhaji Ahmed Wadada and Mr Jonathan Gaza (SDP-Karu/Keffi/Kokona Federal Constituency) have commenced ward campaigns to canvass for votes in the 2023 general elections.

The duo began their campaign rallies in Keffi Local Government Area of the state on Monday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that while Wadada is vying for the Nasarawa West Senatorial District seat, Gaza is seeking reelection to continue to represent Karu/Keffi/Kokona constituency at the House of Representatives.

So far, the SDP candidates had visited Tudun Kofa, Gangaren Tudu, Yara, Iya II and Iya I Wards where they interacted with mammoth crowds who chanted various slogans in support of their aspirations.

Speaking after the campaigns, Wadada lauded the high turnout of of people at the various wards and attributed the development to his party’s acceptance by the electorate in the area.

“I want to assure you that this is not a rented crowd. This is a build up crowd.

“When we left my house with Honourable Gaza and other party members, we had only our vehicles on the convoy.

“As we drove from the campaign office to the first venue, the crowd began to build up.

“We are too much and widely accepted by the special grace of God.

“The team of Wadada, Gaza and others will be ingrates if we rent crowds given the love and acceptance the people had freely offered us,” he said.

Wadada said the affection and support shown by the crowd was reciprocal to the support and concern the party and its candidates have shown to the people, especially the poor in the past.

“Every local government we go, you will see exactly this turnout because it is about the people and we have been with the people.

“We have shown love. We have shown concern. We have shown care to the people.

“When I represented this Federal Constituency, my representation was a caring, educating and enlightening representation.

“It was also a very laudable and effective representation and that is exactly what Honourable Gaza is doing.

“The other candidates with us have not been elected before, but by their antecedents, they have cared, shown love, managed the people,” he said.

Wadada added that the significance of the campaign inauguration was to show that SDP and its candidates were the best choices for the seats they were contesting for.

In an interview, Gaza said since he ventured into politics he has made it a personal policy to work for the people who elected him and not take what belongs to others for himself.

This, he added, informed the popularity he has been enjoying and the large turnout of people to show support for him and SDP.

“I keep what is for the people to the people and what is for me by way of my allowances, I keep for myself.

“So, having the fear of God and the ultimate desire that knowing that one day when you leave this earth is very important.

“Once you have this and you know that you are going to meet your creator and you are going to give account, by God’s special grace, you will do your best,” he said.

Gaza said that he was focused on winning the 2023 general elections and getting another opportunity to serve his people for another term of four years.

He assured, “every ward across the federal constituency and the senatorial district would be visited and the people afforded the opportunity to interact and exchange ideas with the party and its flagbearers in the zone.”

Also speaking, Mr Abdullahi Abubakar, the SDP candidate for Keffi East Constituency in Nasarawa State House of Assembly, said the chances of winning any election lied with the people.

“From every indication, we have seen that the mammoth crowd here will give us the maximum votes we deserve and by the grace of God, we will come out victorious,” he said.

NAN reports that the highlight of the event was the distribution of 100 wrappers and a cash donation of N350,000 in each of the five wards visited in Keffi Local Government Area. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Bashir Rabe Mani

By Salisu Sani-Idris

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Sokoto State, Alhaji Yasha’u Ahmad Kebbe says the party has fundamental leverage to win the Feb. 25 presidential election than the PDP or any of the opposition political parties.

Kebbe said in a statement in Abuja on Saturday that the ruling party at the centre has been waxing stronger since 2019.

He said: “And along the line, it has been getting more state governments under its control.

“But, on the other hand, the main opposition party, the PDP has been fragmented. The PDP of 2019 is not the PDP of 2023

“The votes had been divided into 3 or 4 when you look at the likelihood of the G5 Governors not supporting their presidential candidate.”

The former PDP chieftain said that even the stalwarts of the NNNP were aware that it lacked the national spread to win the presidential election.

“Same analysis goes for LP which I comfortably likened to a morning blizzard that will fizzle out on the morning of the election day.

“So, fundamentally, APC has all it takes in terms of strength and membership to win the 2023 election,” he added.

Kebbe further said that another comparative advantage for the APC was the technical aspect upon x-raying the antecedents of the presidential candidates.

He averred: “Fortunately enough, they all had an opportunity to showcase what they could have done in the past.

“Atiku had served as the Vice President of Nigeria and had contested to serve as the Governor of Adamawa.

“But, by providence of destiny, he was selected as the VP, so he left the post to his erstwhile Deputy.

“I am therefore challenging anyone to show his blueprints for the development of Adamawa or the North then. There were none,”the renowned businessman said.

On Asiwaju BolaTinubu, Kebbe recalled how the APC presidential flag bearer drastically transformed Lagos State when he served as its two- term Governor.

He recalled that the pre-Tinubu Lagos was very notorious in terms of criminal activities and social vices,with dead bodies daily littering the roads.

Kebbe said: “But, by the time he became Governor and took over, he changed Lagos completely and the city became liveable.

“He was able to draw up a masterplan for the development of Lagos which all his successors adopted.

“So, Lagos is today, apart from being a formidable economy in the African continent, one of the most liveable cities.

“Therefore, this man, Tinubu has antecedents of vision and Nigeria is in dare need of visionary leaders not rhetorical ones.”

The APC chieftain added that Nigeria desperately required visionary leaders who will lay the foundation for economic development and empowerment.

Kebbe said: “So, Nigerians have looked at all these issues critically and they are going to make a very wise decision come Feb. 25.

“I tell you without fear of contradiction that in sha Allahu, Tinubu is going to be elected as President and he will win that election first round, hands down.” (NAN) (www.nanewe.ng)

Edited by Bashir Rabe Mani

By Salisu Sani-Idris

A chieftain of the APC in Sokoto State, Alhaji Yasha’u Kebbe says it will resoundingly win the March 11 governorship election in the state.

Kebbe made the assertion in a statement on Saturday in Abuja.

“So, I believe that come election day, the people of the state are going to be shocked with the result that is going to come out,”he said.

Kebbe recalled that the incumbent Governor, Aminu Tambuwal had struggled to win reelection with only a paltry 342 votes during the rerun gubernatorial poll in 2019.

He said: “That figure tells us that at least half of the electorate in Sokoto State had since then rejected the governor and his administration.

“From 2019 to date, from feelers available to us, more people had rejected this government than they did in 2019.”

“So, come the election day on March 11, by the special grace of the Almighty Allah, Ahmad Aliyu, the APC flag bearer will win the election.”

Kebbe averred that PDP in Sokoto State had helped the APC by its alleged poor performance, adding, ‘”the infrastructure development do not tally with the humongous amount of resources that had accrued to the state government from 2015 to date.”

According to him, the dismal performance of the PDP-led administration in the state is not acceptable to the electorate, adding, “the people will not allow the ugly trend to continue.”

Kebbe sequel to this scenario, the people of the state have only two viable alternatives which are the APC and its gubernatorial candidate, Alhaji Ahmad Aliyu-Sokoto.

He also opined that another factor that will work against the PDP in the state was the nomination of a person whom he described as a “lackey”, the former SSG, Alhaji Saidu Umar.

According to Kebbe, Umar must get the share of whatever credit or blame that the administration of Tambuwal gets.

The APC chieftain also said that Tamhuwal wanted to entrone Umar, adding, “he wants to get a successor he can be remote controlling behind the scene.”

Kebbe stated that Aliyu-Sokoto had been formidably groomed by the APC leader and former Governor of the state, Sen. Aliyu Wamakko, who he described as a “tactical leader.”

He said:” Without fear of contradiction, there is no any politician in Sokoto State who can rival Wamakko in terms of his experience at the highest levels of government and govornance since 2019.”

Kebbe said that Wamakko was always thinking of how to improve the living standard of the people of the state and building a legacy of good governance.

While describing him as a pious core philanthropist, Kebbe added,”so, for me and all those who follow me, we have decided that we will continue to follow him in all his political endeavours now and forever by the grace of the Almighty Allah,” (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Bashir Rabe Mani