Tinubu to obi: Importing cheap S-African wines doesn’t make you economist

•Targets 1.2m votes in Ondo  • Atiku cannot unite Adamawa, Obi not economic guru — Shettima Aiyedatiwa pledges one million votes; Yari demands more     • Nigeria needs statesmen, not petty traders — Oshiomhole an economist  

President Bola Tinubu has challenged opposition presidential hopefuls, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and Mr Peter Obi, to demonstrate their capacity to govern Nigeria, declaring that they have nothing to offer Nigerians ahead of the January 16, 2027 presidential election.

Tinubu, represented by Vice-President Kashim Shettima, spoke at the All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential campaign rally in Akure, Ondo State, where he also set a target of 1.2 million votes for the party.

Shettima dismissed the opposition candidates as no match for Tinubu, accusing them of relying on social media campaigns rather than presenting credible records and policy alternatives.

Atiku cannot unite Adamawa, Obi no economic guru — Shettima

Taking a swipe at Atiku, Shettima questioned his ability to unite the country when he allegedly could not secure political consensus in his home state of Adamawa.

“Our political opponents can conduct political rallies on Facebook and Instagram, but for somebody who cannot gain a consensus at the home front, Atiku Abubakar is from Adamawa State. He has been unable to achieve consensus even in his own Adamawa State.

“Of all the five governors that have ever ruled Adamawa in the current dispensation, from Mr Boni Haruna to Murtala Nyako, to James Bala Ngilari, to Senator Mohammed Bindow Jibrilla, to Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, none of these governors and former governors are in alignment with Atiku Abubakar. And right now, he has three gubernatorial candidates in Adamawa State. How is he going to unite and drive the nation?” he asked.

He also questioned Obi’s political standing in Anambra, asking whether former governors Chris Ngige and Willie Obiano, as well as incumbent Governor Charles Soludo, supported him, saying: “The ability to import cheap South African wines doesn’t make one a guru in economics.”

He described Obi’s record as Anambra governor as mediocre and challenged opposition politicians to showcase their achievements in 25 years of democracy.

Ondo elite consensus, 1.2m votes target

Shettima said Tinubu enjoyed what he called a “universal elite consensus” in Ondo, citing former Governor Olusegun Mimiko, former governorship candidate, Chief Olusola Oke, SAN, and other political leaders who had aligned with the APC.

He contrasted this with the political situation in Adamawa and Anambra, where he claimed former governors were not supporting Atiku and Obi.

On the party’s electoral target, Shettima said: “You have registered voters of 2.116 million, we hope that on the 16th of January next year, we hope that the minimum votes we expect from Ondo is 1.2 million votes out of the 1.8 million who have collected their PVCs.”

Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa had earlier pledged to deliver at least one million votes for Tinubu, thanking the President for his policies, interventions and appointments.

He said Ondo voted massively for Tinubu in 2023 because of his leadership record as Lagos governor, adding that the President had justified the confidence through reforms whose benefits had reached the grassroots.

Yari demands millions, Yilwatda hails Tinubu

However, the Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign, former Zamfara Governor Abdulazeez Yari, described Aiyedatiwa’s one-million-vote target as inadequate.

“This one million votes said by the Governor, as the DG of the Asiwaju Presidential Campaign Committee, is still small,” he said.

He added: “We are not looking for Asiwaju to win by a margin. We are looking for Asiwaju to get millions of votes that will give the margin for the presidency.”

Yari said Tinubu had demonstrated exceptional commitment to Ondo through appointments and interventions, declaring: “These five positions are equivalent to about 10 ministers in Ondo.”

The APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, described Tinubu as the most experienced, exposed and prepared among the 18 presidential candidates.

“Among those 18 candidates, who has the wisdom of experience, wisdom of exposure, wisdom of preparation and wisdom of purpose?” he asked.

He said Tinubu had confronted Nigeria’s economic challenges and stabilised the economy, adding that more than 31 states that could not pay salaries when he assumed office could now meet their obligations.

Uzodimma, Oshiomhole urge mobilisation

The Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum and Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, urged Ondo residents to collect their Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs, warning that nearly one million cards were yet to be collected.

“Your PVCs are still lying at the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, offices, very close to one million yet to be collected. The question is, without your PVC, how will you support President Tinubu? You must come out en masse, drop all grievances, be enthusiastic, and vote massively for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he said.

Former Edo State Governor, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, urged Nigerians, particularly youths, to support Tinubu, arguing that the country needed statesmen rather than petty traders in politics.

He praised the President’s appointments, infrastructure investments and proposed reforms in the power sector, including plans to double electricity generation and address transmission challenges.

Oshiomhole also challenged youths to consider the difference between building factories and refineries and establishing shopping malls, arguing that Obi’s business orientation was unsuitable for long-term national development.

Mimiko, Oke, Bamidele pledge unity

Former Ondo Governor Olusegun Mimiko pledged to work with other party leaders to deliver votes for Tinubu and APC National Assembly candidates. He commended the President for building consensus on major national issues, including state police, but cautioned that its establishment would not automatically end insecurity.

Oke, a former governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, also pledged support for Tinubu, citing federal projects and appointments secured for Ondo State.

Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, urged APC leaders to rally behind Aiyedatiwa as the state campaign coordinator, insisting that all stakeholders must be carried along.

He specifically called for the inclusion of Chief Mrs Oladunni Odu, D.I. Kekemeke, Oke, Wale Akinterinwa and Mimiko, saying unity was critical to achieving the party’s electoral target.

Bamidele also reminded party leaders that the January 16 election would involve the presidency and National Assembly, not governorship, and urged them to translate Tinubu’s appointments of three ministers and two ambassadors from Ondo into votes.