Eagle Square, the venue of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential special convention, was in a frenzied mood on Wednesday following the declaration of the former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as the presidential candidate of the ruling party.
Supporters numbering in the hundreds sang, drummed, and danced to the music endlessly, culminating in Asiwaju being ushered to the podium for his acceptance speech as the party’s nominee for the 2023 presidential election.
Receiving cheers and encomiums from his supporters, the party’s presidential candidate described his victory as intoxicating, urging other aspirants to put their opposition behind them and team up with him.
He joked with President Muhammadu Buhari, informing him that he was deliberately keeping him waiting in retaliation for what he did to him.
“Today is another historic day, and we thank God Almighty that we are alive to witness today. This victory has gone beyond the party and has become a Nigerian project. We are very grateful to Buhari and his supportive Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo.
“I want to also thank the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan. I would have been upset that you competed with me, but you can easily heal your wounds. History will, however, be kind to you when it is written.
“To the chairman of our party, it appeared some weeks back that some newspapers and many people are willing to write the obituary of this party. But we pulled out of it like a cat with nine lives. We batched the roof and steadied the pillars. Shame to those already building the coffin of the APC.
“Now that we are here, we will roar; we will develop the building. Tell the Property Development Party, the PDP, that we are capable enough to fix Nigeria.
“Then, to the Progressive Governors Forum, we are truly progressive. We are confident that this nation is back on track. I didn’t know what I did that gave you the confidence to nominate me as the party’s candidate. We will worry and eliminate the intruders at the party. No intruders, no destroyers can bring Nigeria backwards.
“I must thank our men in uniform for their sacrifices and fight for the survival of this country.” You will certainly get a reward and enjoy your sweat.
“I salute my wife for enduring my long absence, but I have announced that I chose politics ahead of accounting because that is the best way I can make an impact in repositioning the country. To Mr President, I am sorry for keeping you long, but this is the time to take revenge because you also took too long. Whatever punishment Mr President has to receive, it is for us all. I am taking this long because I did not expect to win, and now that I have won, I am intoxicated by the victory. We must get rid of all the PDP geckos. We will create wealth,” the APC candidate said.
While promising insurgents and bandits hard times, Tinubu said: “We are not the barbaric humans they think we are. The Bible told us to love our neighbours, not to kill them. We have to learn to accept mistakes, not to take lives. The hate you spill cannot cure your hunger. We have to learn to tolerate one another. We are all human beings who should live together. We have to be tolerant and perseverant. Don’t take the lives you did not create.”
Speaking further, he stated, “I commend my fellow aspirants for the stiff opposition you offered. I am now a better man, and I am humbled. I thank those who stepped down for me. You chose to step down through personal conviction that you trust my brain and competence. The competition is not over, and those who did not support me have nothing to fear. I hold no grudges against you. We must work together to defeat the PDP and their retrogressive ideas. They left us with hunger, and we must do everything to defeat the agents of poverty, terror and lies that characterise the PDP.
“They are the creators of abandoned projects, and they can’t count how many of them. They don’t even know arithmetic. They are known for their container economy. We will dredge Calabar and make it a hub. We will fabricate an engine and revive our economy to compete with other big economies of the world. To the delegates, I can not greet you more than I am doing now. I wish you a safe journey back home,” the presidential nominee noted.
