New Telegraph

Chatham House: Tinubu promises quality leadership, tackle insecurity

The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has promised that his administration will continue to provide quality leadership to the sub-region and ensure democratic ideals reign in the Economic Community of West African State (ECOWAS) if elected president in 2023.

Tinubu, who was in Chatham House in London, the United Kingdom to speak to Nigerians in the Diaspora on why he should be elected in 2023 yesterday, said as president, Nigeria will epitomise the values of democracy during elections anywhere in Africa by ensuring that democratic ideals are followed and all forms of electoral  violence will be rejected.

He said: “Every election, wherever it is held, is important to the people or entity directly concerned. It is also important to the global democracy community as well. Equally, there are also countries whose elections, on account of their weight and influence, carry wider implications way beyond their immediate geographical boundaries. Nigeria is one such country.

“And I urge all my fellow contestants in this election to do the same. Let the sovereign will of the people decide the path of our nation. And let this election be determined by voters making their choice freely rather than the domineering intimidation of the troublesome few.

For one, as Africa’s most populous country and the continent’s largest economy, it is generally acknowledged that the fortunes of the African continent and indeed the Black race are tied directly to the health of Nigeria.”

The former governor of Lagos State also promised to tackle the security situation heads on, so that Nigeria can also effectively provide security support for its neighbouring nations.

“The challenges which have manifested themselves with regard to our national and regional development and security trajectories are very well-known to all of us here: radical extremist violence, terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, human trafficking, trafficking in weapons, trafficking in drugs, climate change and resource-driven conflicts etc. Mostly manifesting initially as national problems and these challenges evolved over time into trans-border and multinational challenges.”

The former governor insisted that his birth, academic, and professional records are consistent, adding that his critics are only wasting their time and money. Asked to clear the air on some of the issues surrounding his formative years, Tinubu said: “The question is inquisitive but at the time of birth, I was dated March 29, 1952. I’ve had very good exposure in life, and my record is consistent in school, in the university, they (critics) are now convinced that they wasted their money and their time.

The record is there, the transcript is there showing March 1952. “I’m not claiming another father; I am Tinubu and Tinubu proper. If they want DNA, they could as well request it from us. One of them has even been accused of not being a Nigerian citizen, I didn’t touch that area. Equally, it remains the same, Deloitte, Chicago State University where I graduated from has attested to that.

Now, I can announce that I have received my original replacement degree certificate from them.” Tinubu also delegated Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State to answer questions on how (Tinubu-led) government would address insecurity, asked the Director of Strategic Communication of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Dele Alake, to respond to the question on oil theft and assigned a former Commissioner for Finance in Lagos State, Wale Edun, to respond to a question on how he (Tinubu) would boost the economy if elected.

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