Bola Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, has promised to eradicate kidnappers and other “troublemakers” terrorizing Kaduna State in North-West Nigeria.
“All those troublemakers, violent kidnappers, killers; all troublemakers (disturbing) Kaduna’s security, I guarantee you, we will eradicate them,” he stated on Tuesday at the APC North-West Presidential Campaign Rally in Kaduna.
Kaduna, one of seven states in Nigeria’s North-West geopolitical zone, has seen an increase in bandit and terrorist assaults in the last two years, including the infamous invasion of the Nigerian Defence Academy on August 24, 2021 and the heinous attack on a moving train on March 28, 2022.
Running Mate: North West APC Govs, Ministers, And Others To Engage Tinubu
According to the Kaduna State Government, 1,192 people were slain by bandits and other violent organizations in 2021, while over 3,000 citizens, students, and tourists were kidnapped. According to official data, over 800 people have been slain by bandits and over 1,200 have been kidnapped in Kaduna between January and September 2022.
However, Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State, assured a crowd of APC supporters decked out in party garb on Tuesday that he can put an end to the state’s security challenges.
He also stated that the present governor of Kaduna, Nasir El-Rufai, had performed admirably since taking office in 2015. As a result, he asked party members to vote for himself and the APC’s governorship candidate in Kaduna, Uba Sani in the 2023 general elections.
“El-Rufai has done a good job, go around Kaduna, you will see how organised, how clean (the state is). He has more internally generated revenue,” Tinubu said, promising to create jobs, harness agriculture potential and empower youths if elected on February 25, 2022.
Security Summit: Nigeria’s Political Scientists Call For Peace
Tinubu attended the event with his running companion, Kashim Shettima; APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu; and a retinue of governors from the North-West and other northern states.
Among them are Aminu Masari of Katsina, Bello Matawalle of Zamfara, Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano, Abubakar Badaru of Jigawa, Abubakar Bagudu of Kebbi, Abubakar Bello of Niger, Simon Lalong of Plateau, and Babagana Zulum of Borno.
Tinubu boasted last month that his alliance with northern governors would provide him with the majority of the votes needed to defeat his main opponents, including Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP), and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP).
In a hotly contested primaries in June, about ten northern governors backed Tinubu’s candidacy.
Historically, the northern part of the country has had the largest voter turnout at presidential elections since the country’s return to democracy in 1999, and the top contenders for Aso Rock’s top position in 2023 have since pitched their tents to win over most of the region’s 19 states.
FG Vows To Eliminate Terrorists By December, Shehu Sani Reacts
Kano, for example, received approximately 1.8 million total votes, the most of any state in the 2019 presidential election. Lately, the state has had some of the highest defections from the PDP, NNPP, and APC.
Kano is home to Tinubu ally Ganduje, Atiku supporter Ibrahim Shekarau, and Kwankwaso, who relies on his base and socio-political movement, Kwankwasiyya to get votes in the north.
During the 2019 presidential election, Kastina and Kaduna both received 1.5 million votes, Plateau received over 1 million votes, Kebbi received 650,000 votes, and Kwara received just over 400,000 votes – all of which were split between the APC’s Muhammadu Buhari and the PDP’s Atiku Abubakar. Other states with high voter turnout based on previous elections include Jigawa and Bauchi, among others.
Although at least three surveys have placed Obi ahead of the other candidates, only time will tell who will win the presidential election on February 25, 2023.
Follow us on Facebook
Post Disclaimer
The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author and forum participants on this website do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of Anaedo Online or official policies of the Anaedo Online.