By Abdullahi Yusuf
Kano stood still on Wednesday, January 4,2023; as all activities in the ancient city grinded to halt;just like all roads became virtually impassable,except of course,those that led to the Sani Abacha Stadium,Kofar Mata, venue of the North-West mega rally of the APC Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
People, including APC supporters from the 44 Local Government Areas of Kano State as well as those from other Northwestern APC States of Kaduna, Katsina,Jigawa, Zamfara and Kebbi and their Governors – Nasir El-Rufa’i,Aminu Masari, Abubakar Badaru,Bello Matawalle and Atiku Bagudu, converged on the campaign venue to attend the historic event.
The Chief Host and APC leader in the state, His Excellency,the Governor of Kano State,Dr.Abdullahi Umar Ganduje,and the Chairman of the State chapter of APC,Prince Abdullahi Abbas, both described the mammoth crowd of people that gathered for the campaign launch,as unprecedented in the history of Kano State in particular and Nigeria in general.
Looking quite elated,Dr.Abdullahi Ganduje and Prince Abdullahi Abbas noted that the gathering was a pointer that Kano was indeed an APC state,and that the party and its Standard Flagbearer,Bola Ahmed Tinubu, would win the forthcoming general elections.
Ganduje went further to say that Kano State is the biggest and largest democracy in Nigeria as it boasts of 44 elected local government chairmen,484 elected councilors, three Senators all of the APC, as well as 40 members of the State Assembly and 24 members of the House of Representatives.
He also enumerated the credentials of the APC Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his Running Mate, Senator Kashim Shettima whom he said had been tried,tested and trusted.
He said the Jagaban has the credibility, the capacity and the ability to govern the country, adding that the people of the state had taken all these variables, among others, in their decision to vote for the APC and Bola Tinubu in the forthcoming polls.
The Governor then said that the people of the state had taken into consideration another variable to vote for Dr.Nasiru Gawuna and his Running Mate,Hon.Murtala Sule Garo, to become the next Governor and Deputy Governor of the state, respectively.
And that variable,he stated, are the impressive credentials of Gawuna and Garo coupled with the infrastructure development provided by the Ganduje Administration in the state, since its inception in 2015.
On his part, Prince Abdullahi Abbas, said the mammoth crowd of people that converged at the venue of the launching showed that Kano is an APC State.
He said the gathering also signified the fact that the APC had already won the presidential election and all other elections,come February and March,2023.
Then came the address of the APC National Chairman, Alhaji Abdullahi Adamu,who commended the large turnout of people for the event, which he said, was a pointer that the APC and its Flagbearers would win the forthcoming general elections.
Adamu, therefore, urged the people of Kano State and the entire North-West zone to vote for the APC Presidential Candidate and His Running Mate, Senator Kashim Shettima,and all other candidates of the APC in the forthcoming polls.
The APC National Chairman then presented the APC flag to the party’s Governorship Candidate in the state,Dr.Nasiru Yusuf Gawauna,amid thunderous ovations and good background music coming from the crowd.
The background music and the ovations had hardly died down when the main feature of the event,the address of the Jagaban of Borgu,Bola Ahmed Tinubu, took over the horizon.
First, Tinubu took some beautiful dance steps before he began his speech in which he thanked the people of Kano State and indeed,the people of the entire North-West, for the warm reception and hospitality they accorded him and members of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, among others.
In the address, the APC Standard Flagbearer promised to serve the people to the best of his ability, if elected the next President of Nigeria.
Amid chantings of “Nigeria Sai Jagaban”(Jagaban is our next President) from the mammoth crowd, Tinubu said he had always kept his promise,and therefore would fullfil his campaign promises, if given the mandate to serve Nigeria.
Other dignitaries who spoke variously and in similar veins were the Running Mate of the APC Presidential Candidate, Senator Kashim Shettima, President of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan,the Director-General of Tinubu/Shettima Campaign Council, Simon Lalong,and the Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum and Governor of Kebbi State,Atiku Bagudu, all of whom added colour to the occasion.
It is noteworthy to add that before the historic mega rally, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu had met with Muslim leaders in the North-West during which he pledged to revive the manufacturing sector in Kano State.
The APC Standard Flagbearer who interacted with the Muslim Clerics at a Town Hall meeting in Kano on Tuesday, also promised to expand the sector beyond what it was before and “make it what it should be.”
He described as unacceptable that Kano is no longer the manufacturing hub it used to be, saying that he would come up with policies that would revive it, if he wins the next month’s presidential election.
“We all should find it unacceptable that Kano is no longer the manufacturing hub it used to be. My policies will do more than revive it.They will expand it beyond what it once was to make it what it should be,” Tinubu said.
The former Lagos State governor also said he has special love and regards for Kano, the North-West and Nigeria in general, adding that he would use that feeling to move the country forward if he gets the mandate of Nigerians.
“My plan is to turn our economy into a more robust and broad economy where those who want to work can find a good job.
“We will revive the manufacturing and textile sectors in Kano and elsewhere by reforming tax and import policies to create jobs for our people.
“These policies will also produce the goods and services that will improve the daily lives of the average person.
“As I said during the commissioning of the Kolmani oil wells, we will invest in that project and indeed all vital infrastructure projects such as the Mambilla Power Project and the AKK gas pipeline projects.
“We shall revive our inland waterways through the dredging of the River Niger and make sure we cut down on our steel import bill by making the Ajaokuta Steel Company work.
“Regarding agriculture, we will increase food security through enhanced productivity and improved farm incomes. Farming will be adequately returned to its prominent position,”the Jagaban added.
To cap it all, the Asiwaju Bola Tinubu mega rally will go down in history as the biggest political gathering in Kano and the North-West ever, and which the people of the zone will continue to remember for a long time.
Abdullahi Yusuf is a Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Information to the Governor of Kano State.He can be reached on: kwalli2005@yahoo.com
