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By Anthony Maliki
Nasarawa State Governor, Engineer Abdullahi Sule has warned party officials, chairmen of local government areas, overseers of development areas, as well as candidates of the party, against complacency but to deliver the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the February general elections.
Engineer Sule handed down the warning during a meeting involving state party executives, chairmen of local government areas, overseers of development areas, as well as candidates of the party, at the Government House, on Tuesday.
The Governor called on those at the meeting to work for APC to emerge victorious, cautioning them not to be over confident.
“Let us work hard as if we are not winning. That is the way we will work. We should get up even if we are one hundred percent sure that we are going to win this, let us work as if we are not winning.
“At the end of the day, if you are winning with 90 percent, let us see you winning with 95 percent. I think that is the attitude I want us to get out of this place with rather than all these grudges. Let’s go out and win the election first. It is very important to understand the direction we are going,” Engineer Sule stated.
The Governor further urged participants at the meeting to work together in unity of purpose and to jettison acts capable of causing disunity within the party.
“I want to call on you, the cordial relationship that must exist between the party and the council and the candidates as well as chairmen, overseers and everyone inclusive. If we don’t have that, if we continue to have these grudges, and rumours, it will not augur well for us.
“We most love ourselves as candidates. That is the number one thing that we have to understand. If I want to win my election in my domain for instance, I most also want somebody like Tsebe, my representative also to win. I must also want JJ Umaru, who is my House of Representatives member to win. I will also like Danladi Evuluanza my senatorial candidate to win and definitely, I want Asiwaju to win.
“These are the facts, there is no hiding about it. There is no qualms about it, there is no question about it. You can’t read somebody’s mind and say, no, this man is thinking so, this man is acting so. Forget about the man, forget his action. Just work for the APC,” he stated.
Engineer Sule used the opportunity of the meeting to update the participants on the scheduled arrival of President Muhammadu Buhari to the state on February 4, as part of activities marking the nationwide campaign rally of the APC presidential candidate, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu.
“I want to use the opportunity to also announce the fact that Mr President is going to come to Nasarawa State as one of the states selected for the rally of Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu. And as a result of that, you can see how our state is being recognized. Because 10 states were selected and Nasarawa State was among the states selected,” he said.
For this reason, the Governor charged the party, local government chairmen, overseers of development areas and candidates of the party, to work together towards ensuring the success of the rally.
“We will rely on you, we will also bank on you, along with the candidates to work together to ensure that we mobilize enough to make the President proud, to make our National Chairman proud,” he added.
Engineer Sule explained that, it’s even more imperative for the rally in Nasarawa State to succeed, being the home state of the National Chairman of the APC, Senator Abdullahi Adamu.
“Because it is expected that this is the home of the National Chairman and he has gone to so many other states, he has seen what happened in so many states and of course he wants his state, if possible, to compete or even beat other states that he visited. But he cannot do it alone, we have to do it collectively in order for us to achieve that purpose,” he stated.
The Governor also used the opportunity to restate the commitment of his administration to remain law abiding, especially in honouring court judgements involving members of the party.
“Today, we have to obey the courts. Those that have court judgement in their favour are our candidates. We don’t own the courts, we can’t dictate to the courts. We should all love APC but we must work hard, it will not come by fiat, it will not come by directives, it will not come by anything else,” he said.
Engineer equally used the opportunity of the meeting to appreciate the party, campaign council, as well as flagbearers of the party, for their roles during the recently held statewide campaign rallies across the 13 local government areas of the state.
“I want to thank all of you individually for the roles that you have played. Because everyone of you who has played one role or the other, especially the flagbearers, the candidates at the various local government areas that we visited. It’s not an easy work to do but you have done it. And we are going to do more in order for us to get to where we are,” he stated.
Earlier, in his welcome address, state Chairman of the APC, Chief John Mamman, reaffirmed the confidence of the party on the leadership qualities of Engineer Sule, stressing that, everything that happens in the state is to the credit of the Governor.
Chief Mamman said the meeting was meant to strategies on how the APC will emerge v8ctorious during next month’s general elections.
The state APC chairman equally appreciated the participants for receiving the party at the various local governments during the governirship campaign tours.
“A very wonderful tour, a very successful tour. A tour that really speaks volume because the people of Nasarawa State have identified. In some places, people are not even members of our party were seen attending to us, being in our rallying ground. And that marks a huge sign of success,” he said.
Chief Mamman used the opportunity of the meeting to symbolically presents political party campaign finance reporting forms provided by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to the Governor and Speaker of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Ibrahim Balarabe Abdullahi, which is expected to be filled by each of the candidate of the party.
