Nigeria is no colony, APC tells international community

All Progressives Congress (APC) has told the international community that the present APC-led government will not tolerate any undue interference, declaring that Nigeria is not a colony.

Speaking at the party’s presidential rally in Ilorin on Monday, the APC national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, said that no amount of blackmail by the political opposition would make the present government change its hard stance against corruption and corrupt people.

Oshiomhole also assured Nigerians that there was no need to worry about the allegations from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that the APC was planning to rig the elections by changing the leadership of some security agencies.

“This election is going to be about the character,” he said, adding, “our victory will be transparent. We do not need to steal what belongs to us. We have travelled across the county and everywhere people are clamouring for Buhari to come back.

“The reason PDP is making false allegations is because this is the first time since 1999 that election will take place and a non-PDP man will be in charge. No one will be blackmailed. No one will be harassed with security agents.  In Kwara PDP has held to power for 16 years by rigging but enough is enough.”

Oshiomhole said he was anxiously waiting for the outcome of Saturday’s presidential and National assembly elections to celebrate the fall of the dynasty from the control tower of Kwara politics.

“When I saw the crowd on the roadside and listened to what they were saying, I concluded that indeed the end has come for him. I cannot wait for Saturday to see Kwara people celebrate their new freedom. It will be a day for Kwara people and young poltiici9ans to realise that the evil a political godson has done to a political godfather will be meted back to him. For 16 years Bukola has overbooked your indebtedness.

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“For Saraki, politics is all about juicy jobs; that was his complain here in Ilorin the day we showed him the way out of APC. He said out of 200 jobs none was given to him and Dogara. Everything that has a beginning must have an end. The time of the oppressor is over. That is the case of Kwara and the case of Bukola.”

Also speaking, visibly elated President Muhammadu Buhari commended the party supporters for their large turn out at the rally, saying that his administration would continue on its three-point agenda of improving security and economy and fight against corruption.

Buhari who extolled achievements of his administration in the areas of food security and restoration of peace in the North East said that the people of North East testify to how he has fulfilled his 2015 promise of restoring peace to the troubled region while all over the country Nigerians now have enough to eat.

He promised to continue consolidating on both fronts as well as sustain the fight against corruption if re-elected.

“When I came here in 2015 I made a promise on three things; security, the economy and fighting corruption. Today the people of the Northeast are our testimony to how far we have done in the area of security. And we have achieved food security, people are now living well. We will not stop the fight against corruption. We will continue to invest the money collected from looters in infrastructure development.”

At the event, National Leader of, the party Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, explained why APC wants to oust Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, from the political equation of Kwara state.

According to Tinubu, the opposition to Saraki’s leadership of the politics of Kwara state was not an affront on the political dynasty started by the late Dr Olusola Saraki, but a need to ‘discipline’ the Senate President whom he alleged has stood against his political godfather. He explained that since another member of the Saraki family, Senator Gbemisola, is in the APC, it will not be right to fight her family.

“It’s been a long time they have been deceiving you. Bukola has been deceiving you. We are not here to fight Baba Saraki’s family because Gbemisola is here and she is his daughter. But today we have come to discipline Bukola. He is a traitor. This campaign is, therefore, the celebration of your freedom, it is the celebration of the falling Berlin Wall of the politics of Kwara, it is the end of the oligarchy, the end of the emperor that didn’t exist until recently.”

Earlier during a courtesy visit to the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu Gambari, President Buhari restated his commitment to the completion of the ongoing projects in Kwara state citing the success of completion of the Ilorin-Jebba road, irrigation projects among others as testimonies.

He added that he usually visit traditional rulers because of their closeness to the people at the grassroots stressing that the nation has been able to tackle the prevalence of insecurity in the Northeastern part of Nigeria.

His words: “Government was able to empower the agriculture ministry to provide soft loans and fertilizers to farmers. Fighting corruption is the most difficult thing, Your Highness because we are going after and charging those who have misused the public trust and for those who are guilty,  they are sentenced.

“With this, I will not give up and we know that people who believe in us will definitely support and with this, we shall achieve more for the nation.”

While welcoming the President, the Emir commended him for engaging in a peaceful campaign as well as embarking on infrastructural development across the country.

Sulu-Gambari added that every politician has one reason or the other as a justification for being entitled to victory in the coming election. But there is no doubt that Mr President, you have tried your best as and we wish you good luck in your endeavours.”