Emmanuel Awari-Jalingo
An APC Chieftain in Taraba State and the Taraba state Coordinator of Independent Grassroot Presidential Campaign Council for the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his running mate Alhaji Kassim Shettima, Ambassador Hassan Jika Ardo on Tuesday told journalists that despite the internal wranglings within the party at the state level, grassroots mobilization for the victory of the party is in top gear.
The former Nigerian Envoy to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago who disclosed this while interacting with pressmen maintained that the party is united in ensuring overwhelming victory in next week’s Presidential election.
Ardo noted that some elements in the party have chosen to deviate from the path of justice and fairness and insists that unless the right thing is done, any charade being celebrated is only temporary.
“I can assure you that as we speak, Taraba state APC is firmly united in our resolve to ensure that our Presidential candidate wins overwhelmingly in next week’s Presidential and National Assembly election.
“Believe me that from our interactions with the people at the grassroots, this is beyond just a political party affair. Even persons from other political parties are willing to vote for our Presidential candidate who has a proven record of excellent leadership along side his running mate.
“It is true that there are some issues in the party especially with regards to our gubernatorial candidate but that is a different thing all together. We would not allow such triviality to stall our focus on the bigger picture. We would continue to mobilize our people and do what is right.
“Let me use this opportunity to call on all party members to always put the interest of the party above personal interests.
“The success of one person should not be more important than the victory of the whole party.
“Our loyalty must stay above average and we need to uphold the principle of justice and fairness.
“If you want to lead others, you should be able to demonstrate a certain level of dignity and integrity and not outright desperation” he said.
Ardo called on the electorate in Taraba to remain focused and come out en-masse to vote for Sen. Tinubu/Shettima on 25th February because that would guarantee continuity and a better nation.