Senator Magnus Abe-led All Progressives Congress (APC) has flagged off campaign in support of former Lagos State Governor, Bola Tinubu’s presidential ambition, saying he is not too old to run.
The group explained that it was rooting for Tinubu because he is qualified to bring the desired change in the nation and could perform better than President Muhammad Buhari, whom they noted is older than him.
Former Senator representing Rivers West senatorial district, Wilson Ake, stated this, yesterday, at Freedom House, Abe’s campaign office in Port Harcourt.
Ake said the EndSARS protesters were sponsored to truncate the Tinubu’s presidential ambition, stressing that the move was a calculated attempt to stop his emergence in the 2023 general election.
Ake, who is the chairman of Bola Ahmed Tinubu (BAT) support group in the state, noted that age has never been a strong criterion for selecting credible leaders, while arguing that age has not hampered President Muhammadu Buhari from performing excellently.
He said: “They went as far as starting EndSARS protest in Lagos State, and they ended up burning Tinubu’s hotel, his television house, his newspaper, even though he is not in government…”
He explained that Tinubu has served the party dutifully and deserves to reap from his labour.
“We are supporting Tinubu because we know that he is eminently qualified and he has worked so hard to see APC win,” he said. “We don’t have that wicked spirit in us, which is why we are saying we must pay back Tinubu what he has put into APC. We are not against anybody who wants to try. Anybody who wants to try should go ahead, but they shouldn’t feel they must eliminate Tinubu to succeed…”
Similarly, another APC chieftain, Tony Okocha, who is the state coordinator, BAT Support Vanguard, disclosed that the Abe-led faction of APC in the state is rooting for Tinubu in 2023 to ensure he emerges the party flag bearer and eventually, the country’s president.
Okocha said: “We are here to sensitise our people and to thank the National Assembly for approving that power should go back to the people by the decision that direct primaries should be adopted in the selection of whoever will represent us…
“We know he has the Mida’s touch. We know he is competent; we know that he is experienced and we know that he is detribalised. So, if we have a nationalist like that, why won’t we support him?…”
