2023: Tinubu Labels PDP ‘Party Of Termites’; Inaugurates APC Women Wing Presidential Campaign Team

By Akinwale Kasali

The All Progressives Congress, APC, Presidential Candidate, Bola Tinubu has taken a swipe at the opposition Party,  Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, describing it as a “political party of termites.”

Tinubu said the Party was in the saddle for 16 Years and this never metamorphosed into any positive for the country, stressing that there is no way they will find their way back into power.

“Sixteen years of nothingness. Never again shall they come back. A new hope is here,” Tinubu said during the inauguration of the Tinubu-Shettima Women Presidential Campaign Team at the State House Banquet Hall, Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The former Lagos State Governor said that the nation is about to witness a new dawn with him emerging as the President that would take over the saddle from President Muhammadu Buhari.

Tinubu’s statement is coming at a time electioneering campaigns for the 2023 Polls have been declared open since September 28th, 2022, by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

Present at the occasion were, at least, 1,250 women members of the APC from across the country, including the President, Buhari, who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Professor Ibrahim Gambari.

Others attendance were Tinubu’s running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima, National Chairman of the party, Senator Abdullah Adamu; Governor of Plateau State and Director General of APC Presidential Campaign Council, Simon Lalong, Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State, among others.

A source at the party secretariat said that the inauguration of the 944-member team will signal the official kick-off of the party’s campaign.

The source also said the women’s team will enjoy a degree of autonomy to arrange and organise its own programmes at the national, zonal and state levels.

The ruling party had on Independence Day announced the composition of the women’s campaign train with First Lady, Aisha Buhari; Senator Oluremi Tinubu and Hajiya Nana, wife of the vice presidential candidate, Senator Kashim Shettima, leading the pack.

The campaign list, which contained names of 944 high-profile women and wives of prominent APC politicians, was released in the wee hours of Saturday by the campaign media admin, Rinsola Abiola, who is also the daughter of late Chief MKO Abiola.

In the 70-page campaign document, no fewer than 33 Nollywood and Kannywood actors were enlisted for entertainment.

They include veteran thespians such as Joke Silva who chairs the entertainment category, Fausat Balogun, Remi Oshodi, Mercy Johnson, Rose Odika, Sola Kosoko, Lanre Hassan (Iya Awero), Hajiya Nas, Lizzy Jay (Omo Ibadan), Princess Kalihat Bello, among others.

In the list tagged ‘Tinubu-Shettima Women Presidential Campaign Team,’ Aisha was appointed as Grand Patron, Tinubu, a three-term Senator emerged as Chairman; Nana was made Co-Chairman while Lauretta Onochie, Personal Assistant on Social Media to the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), also made the campaign train as Deputy National Co-ordinator.

In the category of zonal leaders, the wife of the Kebbi State governor, Dr Zainab Baugudu, will coordinate the NorthWest; the wife of Lagos State Governor, Dr Ibijoke Sanwo–Olu leads South West; the First Lady of Borno State, Falmata Zulum will be in charge of the North East.

Olufolake Abdulrazaq, the first lady of Kwara State, will coordinate efforts in the North-Central and Mrs Sanwo-Olu, wife of the Lagos State governor, will superintend over the South-West.

While Imo State First Lady, Chioma Ikeaka-Uzodinma, will organise the South-East campaign; her counterpart in Cross River, Linda Ayade, will oversee activities in the South-South.