Tinubu to PDP, LP: Neither old nor fantasy road is good enough

Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Tuesday said he would not allow the country to sink under his watch if elected president in 2023.
He also threw a jab at the Peoples Democratic Party and the Labour Party not drag the country unto what he called old road and fantasy road, noting that neither of the two is good enough.
He spoke on Tuesday during the official flag-off of his campaign at the Rwang Pam Township Stadium, Jos, Plateau State, where he pledged to build on the achievements of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Daily Trust reports that the stadium was filled to capacity as bigwigs of the party and their supporters trooped to the venue.
The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, Speaker of the House Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, serving governors such as AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq (Kwara), Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano), Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna), Abubakar Sani-Bello (Niger), Yahaya Bello (Kogi), Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa), Prof. Ben Ayade (Cross River), Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi) and Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa) attended the rally.
Other governors who attended the rally were; Babagana Zulum (Borno), Mai Mala Buni (Yobe), Inuwa Yahaya (Gombe), Hope Uzodinma (Imo), Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Aminu Bello Masari (Katsina), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun) and Bello Matawalle (Zamfara).
Daily Trust reports that former governors including Rotimi Amaechi, who came second during the presidential primary of the APC, Mohammed Abubakar (Bauchi), Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti) and Ali Modu Sheriff (Borno) were in attendance.
Tinubu praised Nigerians for believing in the APC to lead the country to progress after years of backwardness under the PDP administration saying, “Hope is back.”
He said, “One can see greater prosperity and jobs in an economy humming with activity. From the farmer in the rural area to the city boy in a bustling urban centre, each will have productive work to do and a decent home to return to.
“One can see a Nigeria where all who want to will be able to build a decent life from the fruits of their individual and collective endeavour.
“From this fine vantage point, we see how far we have come. We also see how far we must go and the road that will take us there.”
He promised to continue on the foundation laid by Buhari by improving security, infrastructures, oil exploration in the North East and opening Lake Chad for agriculture and economic opportunities.
“Mr President, you have provided exceptional service to the nation and party. Your contributions are both positive and enduring. When the history of this period is objectively written, it will smile upon you and treat you with utmost kindness,” he said.
If elected president, he said his administration would chart the course of progress started by the Buhari administration.
“We hereby reaffirm our commitment to progressive good governance and to the fruits that such governance can bring to this nation.
“February 2023 is more than an election. It is a fight to define the soul of the nation and to determine our collective fate. Do we adhere to the ideals of broadly shared prosperity, competence, peace, justice and compassion toward all? Or do we toss these ideals away, lashing ourselves to the divisive politics of the past or to those whose ranting show they cannot distinguish between fact and fantasy?” he asked.
Tinubu berated the PDP and Labour Party, saying, “One party wants to take us back to a past that never should have been. Another party wants to take us to a past that resides only in its candidate’s head. Neither the old road nor the fantasy road is good enough.
“We, the APC and the Tinubu/Shettima team seek to make permanent a covenant of progressive good governance with the people,” he said.