Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has cited the capacity to effectively manage human and material resources as the reason why Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State, is the All Progressives Congress (APC) most marketable candidate for the 2023 presidential election.
Sanwo-Olu, a beneficiary of Tinubu’s political control of Lagos, stated this, Thursday, at the inauguration of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu (ABAT) Movement, a political group mobilising for the realisation of Tinubu’s presidential ambition in 2023.
The movement is a brainchild of the Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC), the highest political decision-making body of the APC in Lagos, chaired by Tinubu and consists of sitting and former governors of the state, deputy governors, speaker of the House of Assembly, and select chieftains of the party. The GAC often decides who should become the governorship candidate of the party in every election.
At the event, Sanwo-Olu explained that Tinubu’s qualification also rested on his demonstrated capacity in deploying a mix of genius and statecraft to nurture a city on the brink to a flourishing economy, adding that the progress being witnessed in Lagos is a visible experiment initiated by Tinubu, who is the APC national leader.
Joined a the Haven Event Centre venue, GRA Ikeja, by his deputy, Obafemi Hamzat, speaker of the House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, and all members of the state executive council, and all leaders of the APC across the 57 local councils of the state, Sanwo-Olu said with Tinubu, Nigeria should transform into a stable economy which should be a source of pride to the black race.
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According to him, the country is in need of a capable leader with progressive ideas to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari and build on the progress recorded by the current administration.
“Our country is the most populous black nation in the world and the responsibility that comes with that is enormous. The destiny of the entire black race is tied to the greatness of Nigeria. If our country must be great, we have the responsibility to choose the leadership that will bring about true transformation across every facet of our national life. Who is that rallying figure that should lead us in this journey?
That person must be a detribalised Nigerian and a bridge-builder, who has been tested and trusted. A thinker who must sustain the legacy our current president is leaving behind. That person is the reason we are inaugurating this Movement for the actualisation of his presidential ambition. That person is our great leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
He charged all select for leadership roles in the movement to reflect Tinubu’s political ideals of openness and tolerance in their engagement and mobilisation.
An APC stalwart, James Odumbaku, said the forthcoming general election presented another opportunity for Nigerians to make the right choice to keep the country on the path of development.
A member of the GAC, Tajudeen Olusi described Tinubu as “a genius” in statecraft, saying the APC national leader is a saleable article in the political market.
The director-general of ABAT, Oyinlomo Danmole, said the group structure was different from other support groups set up across the country for the actualisation for Tinubu’s presidential ambition.
Reeling out the organs and structures, Danmole said all cluster groups within the Lagos APC have representation in the movement, with the inclusion of every locality in the state.
He said a seven-man committee had been set up in each of the 57 local councils in Lagos, with each committee headed by coordinators.
