Emmanuel Awari-Jalingo
The National body of the Grassroot Independent Campaign Council for Tinubu/Shettima (GICC) 2023 on Thursday inaugurated its Taraba State chapter with the former Nigerian Envoy to Trinidad and Tobago, Amb. Hassan Jika Ardo, as the state Coordinator.
The inaugural ceremony was held at Millennium Hall in Jalingo, the capital city.
Addressing the gathering, the Deputy National Coordinator of GICC, North, Alhaji Umar Ibrahim, said the choice of Amb. Ardo was deliberate as they made a thorough analysis and found him to have some qualities that Sen. Bola Tinubu has which is being “a unifier and dogged fighter”.
He explained that the GICC will consolidate on the work of the PCC by going to the nook and crannies of rural areas of the sixteen 744 LGAs down to the wards and polling units across the 36 states of the federation including the FCT, Abuja to canvas votes for Tinubu/ Shettima from the Nigerians.
“We are going to sensitise our people. The women, youth, and elders especially on how to cast their votes with the new voting system, as well as ensure that they vote for Sen. Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his running mate, Sen. Kasheem Shettima, during the February elections,” he added.
According to Alhaji Umar Ibrahim, the council was part of the strategies to ensure that the party wins the elections at all levels in the country without hitches.
While commending the women and youth for the turnout, Muhammed also urged the APC supporters and other stakeholders in Taraba State to join hands with the state chapter of GICC under the leadership of Amb. Hassan Ardo and ensure victory in the coming general elections.
Rt. Hon. Hamidu Suleiman, chairman of the occasion and former Speaker of the Taraba State House of Assembly, appealed to APC supporters and all stakeholders to support and cooperate with the council to enable them to achieve the set goals of ensuring that Tinubu/ Shettima wins the state.
On his part, the Lead Consultant 1, GICC, Sen. Abubakar Mo’Allayidi noted that GICC is not a rival to anybody but will work with other support groups for Tinubu/Shettima to ensure victory in the February elections and appealed for more cooperation.
Earlier, the state chairman of the party, Barrister Ibrahim Tukur El-sudi, who was represented by his Vice described Amb. Hassan Ardo as a round peg in a round hole, adding that with the inauguration, APC would not only take over the state and Nigeria in the next general elections, but it would send PDP packing completely in most parts of the country.
In their separate remarks, Sen. Bashir Abba Marafa, Sen. Yusuf Abubakar Yusuf who was represented by Hon. Umar Usman Biri, the former Speaker of the Taraba state house of assembly, Rt. Hon. Isa Ajiya, as well as Minority Leader of the Taraba State House of Assembly, at the 9th assembly, Hon. Bashir Bape all described Amb. Ardo was a unifier and a grassroots politician who did well as the pioneer chairman of APC in the state.
In his acceptance speech, the Taraba State Coordinator of GICC, Amb. Hassan Jika Ardo, assured that the Campaign Council would deliver Taraba unfailingly to Tinubu/Shettima in February 2023 elections.
He stressed that with the support of the caliber of people in the council, APC will deliver the state for its Presidential candidate, and will also take over the state from the ruling PDP, which he said has failed the people of the state.
He noted that the team in the GICC, comprised master planners who had been in the game of politics of the State for years and assured that the team had already mapped out strategies to carry out sensitisation and mobilization for the people to come out and participate actively in the February elections.
He expressed joy that he was vindicated for his constant attack on the ruling PDP and the then-candidate of the party, Governor Darius Ishaku, whom he said had taken the state backward during his reign as the Executive Governor of the state.
“I told my people in 2015 that Gov. Darius Ishaku had nothing to offer if he was elected as the governor of the state. I advised Tarabans not to vote for him but nobody listened to me. Now, look at how poor Taraba state is,” he alleged.
Amb. Hassan Ardo who expressed satisfaction with the turn up of the party loyalists at the event appealed to all stakeholders of APC in the state to sheath their swords and come together as one indivisible family so that they would form a formidable force that would humble the ruling PDP in the state.
The GICC state Coordinator who assured Tarabans that the next president of Nigeria is Asiwaju Bola Tinubu with his vice, Sen. Kasheem Shetima, also urged them to vote for APC at all levels.
The APC Women leader in the state, Hajiya Salamatu, expressed optimism that with the Amb. Ardo as the state coordinator, there is no doubt of victory and urged the council to include the women as she noticed only one woman was appointed in EXCO of GICC.
The party’s state youth leaders, Comrade Idris Ayuba, and Comrade Auwal Abdullahi Ade, believe in the style of leadership of Amb. Ardo and urged him to apply the same method he used in unifying members of the party in the past with the view to ensure victory at all levels, and in Taraba State to dethrone the ruling PDP for the development of the state.
That’s Nice one