FIFTY-TWO days to the presidential election, major political parties have heightened activities to garner more votes in the election.
The Labour Party (LP) candidate, Mr Peter Obi, is currently enjoying wave of endorse- ments from prominent Nigeri- ans, among whom are former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and foremost Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Clark.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is also canvassing for votes from the populace, with his vice-presidential candidate and Delta State governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, meeting Governors Godwin Obaseki of Edo and Douye Diri of Bayelsa State, to restrategise for the victory of the presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
This is as the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu, met with Islamic leaders from the North-West in Kano, on Tuesday, ahead of the resumption of the presidential rally today in the ancient town.
Speaking in Abuja at a town hall meeting with women on Tuesday, Obi unveiled his agenda for women in the country, as he promised them better standard of living.
Obi’s wife, Margaret, at the meeting, charged Nigerian women to maximise their numbers in favour of her hus- band during the general election.
She said every Nigerian woman should enlist five vot- ers from their circle to vote Obi-Datti for president and be assured the Obi presidency would guarantee health insur- ance for the 133 million poor Nigerians that have been iden- tified by the survey report.
The town hall meeting aimed at drumming support of women for Obi’s presidential ambition.
Her words: “You must enlist
five of your friends, relatives and co-workers. Tell them what you know. Show them that a new Nigeria is possible and get a commitment from them to come out to vote for Obi-Datti and the Labour Par- ty. Make sure they come out on election day.
“Women make up 49 per- cent of the Nigerian popula- tion and women and youth already made up over 75 per- cent of the registered voters in Nigeria.
“Women are disproportionately affected by inadequate healthcare in Nigeria. In the New Nigeria under the Obi- Datti administration, there will be an increase in National Health Insurance to ensure that 133 million of the poor- est Nigerians are covered, including pregnant women and people living with dis- abilities.”
Emerging from a meeting held at Delta State governor’s residence at Owa Alero, Gov- ernor Obaseki told journalists that the governors met to felicitate with the party’s vice- presidential candidate and to wish him well in the election.
“It is a new year. We go round felicitating as a fam- ily to wish each other well and pray the new year brings good tidings to the party. We are here today to visit our brother, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, governor of Delta State and vice-presidential candidate of the PDP in the 2023 presidential election.
“We wish him well in this election year and by the grace of God, he will be the next vice president of Nige- ria. We pray God Almighty will make our dreams come through this 2023.”
Governor Diri, who spoke on the position of the G-5 governors, said the party is not ruling out discussion with them to persuade them to return, support and work for the victory of the party’s candidate.
“We want a united PDP and
each time we meet, we focus and discuss the unity. We are not ruling out speaking to our brothers, even today, we have also discussed the possibility of speaking to them to return to our party.
“We are calling on our brother-governors to be part of their own party and work in unity with every other per- son. We still want our brother governors back so we can visit them the way we visited our brother, Governor Okowa who, by God’s grace, will be the next vice president of Ni- geria,” he said.
Tinubu, at a town hall meeting with Muslim leaders in Kano on Tuesday promised to provide a lasting solution to the almajiri challenge by appointing a special commis- sion to work towards it.
He said this is expedient because “every child has the right to an education. It is a social wrong to see them roam the streets or drop out due to poverty.”
He then assured Muslim leaders in the country that he will offer fair and just leader- ship to all Nigerians if elected president.
Senator Tinubu appealed to the religious leaders to en- sure that they preach unity and harmony among their followers rather than division and disunity, saying that is the only way the nation can expe- rience development.
Tinubu told the Muslim leaders that he had demon- strated a sense of unity and oneness in all his campaigns and would continue to do so.
He, therefore, pledged to conduct himself in public office on the values and ideals of fairness and justice, adding that he would always speak about facts and truths, policies and programs.
The APC will hold its presidential campaign rally in Kano today.
