* Ekiti promises 90% votes for president at rally
Deji Elumoye, Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja and Gbenga Sodeinde in Ado Ekiti
President Bola Tinubu will depart Abuja today, November 6, for a two-state visit to Akwa Ibom and Rivers states. This was announced in a release by the presidential Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
The announcement came as Vice President Kashim Shettima, yesterday, said Tinubu had kept faith with his promise to rebuild Nigeria through bold and necessary economic reforms.
Shettima spoke in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, during the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign rally, where the people declared that 90 per cent of their votes would be for the president.
Onanuga stated, in the release, that Tinubu will first visit Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, to inaugurate landmark projects completed by the Governor Umo Eno administration, and attend a political rally.
To give the president a rousing reception, Eno declared today a work-free day in the state.
Among the projects Tinubu is scheduled to inaugurate in Uyo are the new International Terminal Building, the International Airport Hospital, and the Ibom Aviation Village, all located at the Victor Attah International Airport.
The president will also inaugurate the Airport-Okopedi Road in Nsit Atai and Okobo local government areas, and Ring Road 3, linking Idoro Road to Ikot Ekpene Road through Uyo and Ibiono Ibom.
Other projects include the AKWA-GIS Office Complex, Command and Control Centre, and ARISE Palm Resort.
On Saturday, Tinubu will leave for Port Harcourt to take part in the APC rally.
The rally will be his third, out of the proposed 12, since he flagged off the re-election campaign in Kaduna last month.
The visits will give the president the opportunity to engage with political stakeholders, party members, and supporters, while emphasising unity, political stability, and a shared commitment to national progress.
Shettima: Tinubu Has Kept His Promise of Rebuilding Nigeria Through Bold Reforms
Shettima, yesterday, said Tinubu had remained faithful to his promise to rebuild Nigeria through brave and crucial economic reforms.
That was as the people of Ekiti State declared that 90 per cent of the total registered voters in the state would be delivered for the president in the forthcoming presidential poll.
Meanwhile, opposition figures in the state, including the candidates of Social Democratic Party (SDP), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the last governorship election, declared their support for the president, citing the positive impact of the federal government’s interventions in Ekiti.
Shettima acknowledged the sacrifices made by the citizens, saying the people are already reaping the benefits of the administration’s tough decisions.
He stated that while the commitments were being fulfilled, the Tinubu government had returned to account for the work already done as well as the tasks ahead.
He said, “We know the sacrifices you have made, and we are beginning to reap the benefits of those difficult decisions. His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has remained faithful to the commitments we made to you.
“We have begun to fulfil those commitments, and we have returned to account for the work already done and the tasks that remain. We have come to seek the renewal of your mandate, to continue the partnership we began and to finish the work you entrusted to us.”
The vice president appealed to the people of Ekiti to replicate the mass support they gave the president in the 2023 presidential poll, assuring them that the administration’s commitment to their welfare “extends to healthcare and electricity, two necessities upon which the dignity of everyday life depends”.
He cited the conversion of the former State Specialist Hospital in Ikole-Ekiti into a Federal Medical Centre to complement the Federal Teaching Hospital in Ido-Ekiti, as part of efforts by the Tinubu administration to revamp healthcare.
On electricity, Shettima said, “We have also turned our attention to your electricity needs. Equipment has arrived for the substations at Ilupeju and Ijesa-Isu, alongside ongoing work on the Ikere switching station.
“We have approved additional electricity distribution lines and transferred regulatory authority over your intrastate electricity market to Ekiti State. We understand what these interventions mean to you.”
He lauded the transformation of Ekiti State into an electoral powerhouse, stating that the state “has become a litmus test for elections in Nigeria”.
Shettima added, “You lead the nation in speaking with a voice that deserves respect and reflection. We have returned to acknowledge that voice and thank you for your warmth.”
He justified his observation with the recent re-election of Governor Biodun Oyebanji under the APC platform.
Shettima also spoke on efforts by the Tinubu administration to build roads in the state, stating that work has proceeded on the Akure–Ikere–Ado-Ekiti road, while reconstruction has begun on the Itawure–Aramoko–Ado-Ekiti road.
“Other federal road interventions, from Aramoko and Ijero to Ifaki, Oye, Ikole and Omuo, are at different stages,” he stated.
He added, “Our duty is to see the work through. Every unfinished road is a responsibility awaiting fulfilment.”
On education, the vice president stated that the Federal University of Technology and Environmental Sciences was established in Iyin-Ekiti, while students at Ekiti State University and Bamidele Olumilua University received education loans through NELFUND.
Recalling the new ICT Experience Centre inaugurated at Ekiti State University through TETFund support, Shettima said the obligation of the Tinubu administration “is to make sure that poverty does not shut the classroom door against any child”, especially in Ekiti, the land of professors.
He listed other federal government interventions in the state, including agricultural input programmes that have brought fertilisers and planting materials within the reach of participating farmers.
Shettima restated the commitment of Tinubu to rebuilding the country, pointing out, however, that “the authority to continue with it rests with the Nigerian electorate”.
He stated, “We seek your mandate to complete the work we have begun, fulfil the commitments we have made and carry this mission to its conclusion.”
Shettima departed Ado-Ekiti with a clear and emphatic message from the people, who declared that 90 per cent of their votes will be for Tinubu in the forthcoming election.
They attributed their support to massive infrastructure projects embarked upon by the federal government across the state, saying they have transformed lives and communities, creating a strong case for a second term for the Tinubu-Shettima ticket.
In a significant show of bipartisan solidarity, the governorship candidates of PDP, APM, and SDP in the last governorship election in the state pledged their support for the president.
In separate remarks, the opposition candidates affirmed that they would mobilise their supporters behind APC to ensure the victory of Tinubu.
They emphasised that their commitment went beyond party lines and was rooted in the unity and continued progress of Ekiti State.
Oyebanji described the decision of opposition figures in the state to declare support for Tinubu as clear evidence of the positive impact of the federal government’s interventions in Ekiti.
He said the people of Ekiti would reciprocate the president’s efforts by delivering an overwhelming mandate in the next general election.
The governor declared, “We will use our votes to say thank you to a president who has given approval for so many federal roads and other critical projects in Ekiti State. The people of Ekiti will return the president with no less than 90 per cent of registered voters.”
APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, said at the rally that Tinubu’s achievements deserved to be rewarded with a second term.
Yilwatda stated that the administration had eased the burden on small business owners who previously struggled under the weight of unaffordable taxes.
He said, “Unlike in the past, when small business owners were being strangled by taxes they could not afford, the coming of President Tinubu has checked that excess.
“The NELFUND student loan scheme, the construction of roads, the establishment and upgrading of federal institutions, and other interventions are clear manifestations of the President’s goodwill and his determination to improve the lives of Nigerians.”
Director-General of the campaign council, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, urged the people of Ekiti to mobilise full support for the president’s re-election.
Yari stated, “President Bola Tinubu has promised to bring even greater development to Ekiti State if given the opportunity to serve a second term. The people of the South-west must demonstrate their love and support by voting massively for him.
“Interestingly, many in the north already regard President Tinubu as one of their own, more than a southerner. The South-west must not be left behind in showing appreciation.”