Agency Reports

By Sani Idris

Some groups of Northern Christians, have adopted and endorsed the APC presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, in the forthcoming 2023 presidential election.

The various groups on Tuesday in Kaduna, adopted Tinubu as their candidates at an endorsement ceremony, organised by the Christian Northern Nigerian Political Forum (CNNPF).

The endorsement followed the donation of food items to Christian communities in the North, by Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, wife of Tinubu, at the famous Murtala Muhammad Square in Kaduna.

Tinubu who donated over 2,000 bags of rice and wrappers to women in the state, assured the Christian communities in the North of inclusive administration if her husband is elected president.

Tinubu, who was the special guest of honour at the event, maintained that her husband’s track record of inclusiveness made his campaign promises regarding equitable representation believable.

Earlier, Mr. Ibrahim Itodo, Coodinator of CNNPF, reminded the Christian communities of the nation’s need of a visionary leader.

He added that if Tinubu could turn insecure Lagos state into a thriving economy, then he would lead the nation out of its current socio-economic and security challenges.

He said the issue of the APC Muslim-Muslim ticket which was conceived to Islamize Nigeria was a past issue and had been resolved.

Also, speaking to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the sideline of the event, Mr. Isacc Abrak, the Chairman of the Northern Christian Youth Professionals (NCYP), said they were at the event to show to the world that Christians in the Northern part of Nigeria knew who Bola Tinubu was.

He said that the Northern Christians had understood and bought the idea of Tinubu’s choice of Muslim as a running mate.

“Northern Christians have understood that the Muslim-Muslim ticket by Tinubu is basically for strategy and not as wrongly said and perceived by other Christians that it was a look down on them.

“When Tinubu emerges the President, he will carry the Northern Christians and everybody along, so we are at this event to show the country that we are with the him and his wife,” Abrak said.

He explained “To quench that assertion of Northern Christians that Tinubu doesn’t care about them, we mobilised ourselves massively from the 19 Northern states to show our solidarity with Tinubu and the APC.”

He further said that Tinubu is competent leader looking at his antecedent.

“Tinubu has changed Lagos State, he is going to change Northern Nigeria, he will bring mass youths employment to solve our insecurity,”Abrak said.

He assured that if Tinubu becomes the president, he will revive the moribund textile Industries in the Northern part of the country as he promised in his manifesto.

“When the moribund textile industries are revived, it will do away with the issues of insecurity bedeviling the North,” he said.

NAN reports that at the event were the governors of Kaduna, Kano and Katsina, as well as Hajiya Hafstat Ganduje, among other APC stalwarts.

NAN also reports that Mrs. Tinubu called for a minute silence in honour of the recent 38 people slain by bandits in Kaura local council area of kaduna. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

News Local

INEC needs 100,000 vehicles, 4,200 boats for 2023 elections

BAYO WAHAB

December 21, 2022 6:34 AM

INEC assures Nigerians of the timely arrival of materials and personnel on election day.

INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu. [Punch]

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Professor Mahmood Yakubu has said that the commission would need over 100,000 vehicles and about 4,200 boats to convey materials and personnel to various polling units across the country for the 2023 general elections.

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Yakubu said this on Tuesday, December 20, 2022, while assuring Nigerians of the timely arrival of materials and personnel on election day, during the signing of the revised Memorandum of Understanding between INEC and road transport and marine workers’ unions in collaboration with ActionAid Nigeria in Abuja.

He explained that the revised MoU was designed to facilitate the successful deployment of personnel and materials on election day.

Explaining the logistics required for the election, Yakubu said; “The 2023 general election will involve the nationwide deployment of over 1 million personnel and massive quantities of materials twice within two weeks from our state offices to 774 local government areas, 8,809 electoral wards, and 176,846 polling units across the length and breadth of our country.

“It will require over 100,000 vehicles and about 4,200 boats that will be accompanied by naval gunboats. This is a huge undertaking that must be accomplished in the next 66 days and we are resolute in doing so to give Nigerians a pleasant voting experience.

“Let me assure Nigerians that we are determined that all polling units nationwide will open at 8.30 am on Saturday, 25th February 2023 for the presidential and national assembly elections and on Saturday, 11th March 2023 for the governorship and state house of assembly elections.

“To ensure that personnel and materials will be at the polling units on election day awaiting the arrival of voters rather than the other way round, INEC requires large numbers of vehicles, including motorcycles, tricycles, boats, and canoes in the riverine areas which cannot be met from its internal resources.”

The INEC boss added that the movement of all vehicles and boats would be electronically tracked to ensure that personnel and materials are not hijacked or diverted, The Punch reports.

“The security agencies shall not only be available to escort all vehicles and boats to locations, but they will also ensure the safety and protection of all election personnel and materials. As usual, we shall track the movement of all vehicles and boats electronically and in real-time to ensure that election personnel and materials are not hijacked or diverted,” Yakubu said.

In their reactions, the President of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, Tajudeen Baruwa; the President, of the National Association of Road Transport Owners, Yusuf Othman and the President-General, Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, Adeyanju Adewale assured INEC that they would maintain neutrality throughout the election period.

They also registered their commitment to work with the electoral body to ensure materials and personnel arrive at various polling units early.