President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, continued his nationwide campaign for the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, with a visit to the Katsina Emirate Council, where he asked the Emir and the Council to mobilise their people for the election of Tinubu during the February 25, 2023 presidential poll.
The President, according to a release by his spokesperson, Mallam Garba Shehu, pledged full support for Tinubu while calling on the Emir of Katsina, Abdulmumini Kabir Usman and Emirate Council to mobilise for the political leader.
Speaking during a courtesy call on the Emir, Buhari said, “We are here to present our candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Asiwaju has been chosen by our party, and we are fully in support of his candidature, and we will work for his victory at the polls,” he said.
The president used the opportunity of the visit to personally condole the leaders and citizens of the state following the recent terrorist attack on vigilantes in Bakori Local Government area of the state, in which many lives were lost.
He said his administration would continue to listen to wise counsels from experts, traditional rulers and political leaders on the economy, and would adopt best practices in safeguarding the interest of the people.
“I hope citizens of the country, and indigenes will remember what the Governor of Katsina State, and the Emir of Katsina said about the polity, and situation in the country. I will not want to add more,” he said.
Earlier, Governor Aminu Bello Masari commended the President for introducing a social security structure that directly impacted the lives of citizens, with direct transfer of funds to people, and a school feeding programme that encouraged more children to enroll.
He said, “The president has approved more than N38 billion that went straight to improve the lives of citizens here, and we saw the difference. He didn’t put money in the hands of the rich and privileged so that they could undermine the poor and vulnerable. He reached out directly.
“The president has worked for the interest of the country and citizens. We cannot compare the opportunities he got with the previous administrations. And yet, we can see the difference in terms of results in infrastructure, and growth of the economy. It is unfair and uncharitable to compare someone who was given a N1000 with another person that got a N100. Yet, you can see the result.”
The Governor expressed sympathy to families of vigilantes who were ambushed and slain by terrorists.
“The terrorists have behaved like animals. And animals are even better than them in many ways. Animals will only kill their kin when hungry, but terrorists have slain without purpose,” Masari noted.
According to him, the ambush and killing of vigilantes in the state will be investigated, and those involved will face the law.
The Governor urged citizens to avoid politicians that have been flagging the ethnic and religious cards.
Masari, however, presented Tinubu to the Emirate, noting that his record of service in Lagos State, and the nation remains commendable.
“Lagos State had a poor security record, with cases of attacks, robberies and dead bodies on streets, until Asiwaju took over leadership in 1999. The state has been transformed, with infrastructure and earned a reputation as one of the fastest growing cities in the world. The state is now a centre of excellence, because of the vision of the APC presidential candidate, ” Masari added.
Director General of the APC Presidential Campaigns and Governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong, however, urged Katsina indigenes to continue their support for the governing party, while commiserating with families of the vigilantes.