2023: Tinubu support group trains over 600 state, LGA campaign coordinators

National Secretary, Asiwaju Project Beyond 2023, Comrade Ahmed Shomoye; Executive Secretary, Economic, Planning, Revenue Generation and PPP, FCT, Agboola Dabiri; Former Commissioner for Transportation, Lagos State, Dr Kayode Opeifa and Director-General, Asiwaju Project Beyond 2023, Mr. Realwan Okpanachi, during a capacity building for Affiliated Support Groups to commemorate Nigerian Independence in Abuja.

The ongoing campaign for the 2023 Presidential elections gained momentum at the weekend, as Asiwaju Project Beyond 2023 trained over 600 affiliate Support Groups Coordinators as part of its campaign awareness strategy for Senator Bola Tinubu and Senator Kashim Shettima.

Speaking at the capacity-building programme tagged: ‘Tinubu/Shettima ticket: A pan Nigerian project’ held in Abuja, Barrister Realwan Okparachi affirmed that the 2023 general elections will be very unique unlike the previous elections because we have four prominent persons contesting for election, hence there is need for us to train the support groups on the APC candidate.

They need to know his background; they need to know about his achievements and his plans for Nigerians so that as they engage the electorates and properly address their concerns if any for us to be able to win elections in 2023.”

According to him, Asiwaju Project Beyond 2023 has concluded plans to train over 600 support groups that have registered with the Association, with a view to building their capacities and the know-how and knowledge of Senator Tinubu and Senator Shettima.

“This group has been in existence for over 13 years and we have structures across the country. We have state coordinators in all the states including FCT, we have Local Governments’ Coordinators, we have Wards’ Coordinators and we are now recruiting 10 canvassers in every polling unit because this message you are hearing here, we are taking it down to the grassroots because elections are not won in Abuja. Elections are won at the grassroots.

“So, we are taking it to permeate down to the grassroots so that every nook and crane of this country will hear this message. We are going to train our coordinators at the state level, at the local government, and at the ward level and even the canvassers so that they will be able to canvass well so that they will be able to know how to canvass and sell the products that we have – Jagaban and Shettima.”

On his part, a former Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Dr Kayode Opeifa, averred that Senator Tinubu is the most acceptable Candidate across the country, adding that the Group is out to get about 90 million registered voters as announced by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

“If we can get the 90 million so, be it. to God be all the glory. We need only one vote to defeat the opponent and two-thirds of all the states, with God on our side our support groups will go out, they will be peaceful, speak to the youths and let them know that our principals are the best.

“They should give them the opportunity come February 23 or whichever date INEC decides to fix the election, they should go there to vote massively for APC, go there to vote for the Asiwaju Jagaban Bola Tinubu and Shettima ticket.

“On the issue of number, we believe God’s willing, we would have more numbers to win at the February election.”

Dr Opeifa who expressed optimism that Senator Tinubu is the most qualified Presidential Candidates across the 18 political parties, said: “He is the only first 11, the rest are second 11, they are reserved players who will never be given opportunity to wear the jersey. The ticket of Asiwaju/Shettima, from all past and current records, from antecedents, for love, for hope, Nigerians know that Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Kashim Shettima are the best that Nigeria deserves now.

“This is the ticket that will sustain the hope in the minds of average Nigerians, these are the two people that will erase the fault lines that are dividing us, these are the two people that have demonstrated when given the opportunity. They turned despair into hope, they have not created religious or tribal tension in the States they governed. There are no record of discrimination between religion and tribal groups in Nigeria. They have demonstrated the capacity to develop education, develop the economy, they are bridge builders and leaders, their successors are still with them.

“Go to all the other people, where are their successors, where are the people who brought them to power? They are all gone, this is the best team for Nigeria,” he noted.

He maintained that Tinubu and Senator should not create religious or tribal tension in the state

Also speaking, National Director for Women Affairs, Mrs Afusat Usman disclosed that similar training is going to be organized for various Women State Coordinators and their Deputies across the country in the next three weeks.

While noting that Senator Tinubu is not biased on gender issues, Mrs Usman noted that Senator Oluremi Tinubu who is also a seasoned politician encourages women to be involved in politics. We equally taken it upon and we are planning to train young girls because we have a programme called Women in Politics Forum through which we train them to be involved in politics.”

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