All progressives congress “APC” presidential candidate Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has promised that he will be a fair and just leader if elected president next month.
Tinubu spoke yesterday ahead of his campaign rally in Kano, Kano State today.
The APC standard bearer, at a town hall meeting with Muslim leaders from the Northwest, enjoined Nigerians to disregard the lies against him.
He said that it was unfortunate that his opponents were seeking to win the February 25 poll with “a lie” instead of the truth.
He told the Muslim clerics that since his opponents cannot win through an honest campaign, they want to turn them (servants of God) into preachers of division.
His words: “They cannot win with the truth. So, they will try to win with a lie. But a lie never wins in the end.
”Those they cannot beat with honesty, they seek to beat them with untruth and falsity. They want to turn servants of God into preachers of division and hateful sentiment.
”Religious leaders like you are agents of harmony and hope, not division and disunity. All well-meaning Nigerians, regardless of political affiliation, must join hands against violence, hunger, ignorance, and bigotry.
”We all must live together. No one has the right to try to lord over the other. Allah stands against such injustice. And where Allah stands, all bad things must fall.
“Mean-spirited politicians –those thinking only of themselves or those who think they mean more than the nation itself -will go to great lengths to deceive or recruit eminent persons to unknowingly preach division and hatred.”
Tinubu, a former Lagos State governor told the Muslim leaders he had demonstrated a sense of unity and oneness in all his campaigns and would continue on the same path.
The APC presidential candidate pledged to conduct himself in public office on the “values and ideals of fairness and justice. He added that he would always speak about “facts and truths, policies and programmes.”
Tinubu said: “I promise to be a fair and just leader. This pledge is based on the Islamic teachings of leadership. A leader in a plural society is enjoined to be a leader for all. If elected, I shall govern in harmony with our nation’s democratic constitution.
“More than that. I shall tackle this nation’s problems with a commitment to solving them. I say this not as a boast. I say it based on my record.
As Lagos governor, I assembled perhaps the most diverse team by any state government. That team was based on competence, not tribal this or regional that. It was not based on the attire one wore or the accent one spoke with but on the quality of one’s ideas and contributions to society.
”If given the chance by Almighty Allah, I will operate in the same spirit of inclusiveness and innovation in order to renew the hope of our people. My highest priorities shall be the protection of our land and the prosperity of its people.”
He urged the religious leaders to ensure that they preached unity and harmony rather than division and disunity.
He spoke also on his plans to revitalise the economy and improve security as well as Agriculture. The three sectors, according to him, will top the priorities of his government.
Regarding security, my policy is not artificially created to sound good for this campaign. My security policy is based on dedicated study and long conversations with experts in this field.
“This is the same approach I used to tackle the bad security situation that faced me when I became governor of Lagos. I created programmes and institutions to solve the real and dangerous challenges Lagos faced.
As we fight terror and crime, we shall also attack poverty, hunger, and the despair they cause,” he added.
