Barring any last minute alteration, President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and its presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the campaign rally train to eight more States.
Members and followers of some of the major opposition parties had alleged Buhari refused to identify with Tinubu’s bid to succeed him.
The party’s Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) has reviewed its campaign calendar, pointing out eight of the remaining outings where President Buhari would be featuring.
Bashir Ahmad, Special Assistant to the President on Digital Communication, who is also the Deputy Director, Special Media Projects/New Media of the APC’s PCC highlighted the days the President is scheduled to participate in the campaigns.
In the highlights posted on his verified Twitter handle, @BashirAhmaad, the Presidential spokesperson said: “Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Rallies to be attended by President Buhari; 23/01/23 in Bauchi; 30/01/23 in Akwa Ibom; 04/02/23 in Nasarawa; 06/02/23 in Katsina; 09/02/23 in Sokoto; 14/02/23 in Imo; 16/02/23 in Kano for the second rally; and 21/02/23 in Lagos for the grand finale.”
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Asked to react to the view with a section of the opposition that Buhari may not really be interested in supporting Tinubu to win, Ahmad catalogued the APC presidential rallies the President had been to since the campaigns commenced and why he had missed out on some others.
“You know opposition will always have something to talk about, but for them to say the President is not associating himself with our presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is not true. Baba was in Plateau for the kickoff of the presidential campaign. Before he even went to Plateau, the Presidential Campaign Council was inaugurated in the Villa, Baba inaugurated the Council and he went to Plateau to for the kickoff of the campaigns.
“He wasn’t around during the subsequent campaigns, you could see he went to the USA, after USA he went on two other trip. So that’s why he couldn’t find time to be part of the presidential campaigns.
“Now, the updated timetable is out, all Nigerians can see Baba has chosen to go for the major campaigns in most of the states, like he’s going to Lagos, he’s going to Kano, he’s also going to Sokoto. He’s going to Akwa Ibom and Ogun and a few other states.
“So, definitely Baba is part of the campaign and as far as politics is concerned, Baba is the leader of the APC. He’s the President, definitely, he will like his party to also continue from where he’ll stop and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is our candidate and we know we have been to so many states and we are confident he’s going to win this coming election, by God’s grace.”
Reacting to the social media presence of the followers of some opposition candidates, Ahmad simply said elections are not won on social media platforms and highlighted what the APC and its presidential candidate had been devoting his energy and attention to, in order to win this month’s election.
“Yes, I know the question you’re about to ask. We have, for a long time now, been saying and telling people you don’t win elections on social media. We don’t have polling units on social media. If you want to win the election, you should go out and meet people where they are and this is what we are doing.
“We have been engaging Nigerians from Lagos to Maiduguri, from Maiduguri to Kano, from Kano to Akwa Ibom. We are everywhere and we know the real voters. So they should keep pushing on social media while we are going down to meet people to ask them to vote for us, to tell them what we have done and what we are going to do if we win the next election.
“So we don’t mind, we’re not actually moved. We don’t care about their social media activities, we have our own people on social media and we appreciate what they have been doing and the message they have kept posting, requesting people to vote for us, especially at this moment, encouraging people to go and get their PVCs. We will also encourage them to go out and vote for us on February 25, by God’s grace,” he said.
