- Arewa for Asiwaju receives 5,000 PDP defectors in Gombe
The governorship candidate of the Young People’s Party (YPP) in Plateau state, Manji Gontori, along with 9, 000 others, have defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)
Receiving the defectors during the rally of the party’s governorship candidate, Dr Nentawe Yiltwada, at the Wase local government area of the state, the state party chairman, Rufus Bature, said the APC was well positioned to win the forthcoming election at all levels.
Bature said the APC-led administration in the past eight years in the state has performed very well and as well restored normalcy to all the troubled parts of the state, adding that the peace being enjoyed presently is a result of the peace initiative of Governor Simon Lalong.
He urged members to remain steadfast and go back to their polling units to work for the victory of Yilwatda and all the candidates of the party in the forthcoming elections.
Bature added that apart from Gontori and the 9,000 others who defected to the APC, there are others who have indicated their interest in defecting to the APC, adding that they will be received at the appropriate time before the election.
APC Governorship candidate Dr. Nentawe Yilwatda thanked the people of the state for showing him uncommon love and acceptance, promising to work to sustain the peace and security of the state by building on the achievements of Governor Lalong.
He said the vision of the Generation Next team is to create wealth and deepen the empowerment of the people by leveraging technology and innovation.
He said he will build on Lalong’s achievements in other sectors such as health, education, infrastructure development, empowerment, job creation, and social cohesion.
In the same vein, the Arewa for Asiwaju, a support group for the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Candidate Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Gombe State yesterday formally received 5,000 defectors from the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.
The state Coordinator of the group, Malam Ibrahim Muhammadu, said the defectors were from the 114 wards of the 11 Local Government areas of the state.
Muhammadu said the group was determined to deliver not less than 90 per cent votes that will be cast in the state to the APC.
According to him, the APC as a party has the best candidate in Asiwaju Tinubu and his running mate, Kashim Shettima.
He urged the youth not to allow themselves to be misled by those who are peddling rumours and fake news about ethnicity to discourage them from voting Tinubu.
“Asiwaju is known to be a very proactive and pro-North man so no one can mislead or misinform us about him. We are witnesses to his good works and contributions all across the Northern parts of this country. He is not a tribalistic person and he is well accepted in the north more than any of the candidates,” he said.
The women leader of Grassroot Mobilisation for Tinubu, Mariam Yusuf said her group was ready to mobilise the youths to vote for Tinubu and Shettima on February 25.
According to her, the youths have the power to decide who is going to be the next president of Nigeria.
“We are ready and we will use our PVC to choose the right man, which is Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to be our next president,” she said.
Malam Umaru Kurama, a member of Arewa for Asiwaju support groups, said the contact committee within the support group has started the mobilisation of youths and voters for the general election and will ensure that all political offices are delivered to APC.
“As elders, we have a duty to guide the youths on the right path as far as this election is concerned and that is what we are going to do. To us, the choice of Tinubu as the next president of Nigeria is not negotiable,” he said.