Some voters in the northwestern Nigerian state of Jigawa said they are optimistic about the determination of the All Progressive Congress (APC) presidential candidate, tinubou ballto address issues facing state residents if he becomes president.
During a campaign rally in Dutse, the state capital, on Saturday, Tinubu vowed to improve living conditions for residents of the largely agrarian state by providing better health care, security and agricultural development.
The rally was attended by thousands of APC supporters, governors, party leaders and lawmakers from the Northwest region, the stronghold of the ruling All Progressive Congress.
APC presidential candidate Bola Tinubu and his team during a campaign rally in Jigawa, northwestern Nigeria. [PHOTO: @officialABAT]“Every hope you have will be renewed, you will get good health care and prosperity,” Mr Tinubu said at the campaign site after receiving an enthusiastic welcome from party supporters who gathered in Dutse from all 27 local government areas. said Mr. Tinubu.
“Jigawa, you have accepted me as one of you. Nagode (thank you) God will honor you and bless you with prosperity.”
“Starting in February, if you have your permanent voter cards, go out and vote for me as president, when you do, you will vote for progress and development, you will vote for farm business, you will vote for constant electricity and good life and better health. . attention and good education.
“Nigeria will see progress, we will end the violence, kidnappings and violent killings and the taking of ramson, I assured them. You will be able to go to the farm twice in one season,” Tinubu said.
APC presidential candidate Bola Tinubu and his team during a campaign rally in Jigawa, northwestern Nigeria. [PHOTO: @officialABAT]The former governor of Lagos also welcomed to the APC the candidate for governor of the Labor Party (LP) in Jigawa, Abdullahi Tsoho, who defected to the APC with various party candidates.
The Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) candidate from the Kaugama constituency in the state assembly election also defected to the APC with his supporters during the campaign.
Jigawa has one of the highest numbers of children out of school. Its health infrastructures are mostly broken and it has perhaps the worst maternal and infant mortality rate in the country. Maternal mortality in the state is 174 deaths per 100,000 live births, a recent survey revealed in 2021.
The state was ranked as the third poorest state in Nigeria according to the recently released Multidimensional Poverty Index (2022) report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
Some out of school children lining up to buy food.
Some residents who spoke to our reporter expressed optimism that the presidential candidate, if elected, will address the many challenges they face in the state.
One of them, a tea vendor in the popular Yan Tifa market, Yellow Maishayi, said he hoped the presidential candidate would continue the cash transfer program launched by President Muhammadu Buhari, targeting the state’s poor. .
“I wish him the best and hope that if elected he will address poverty and sustain the cash transfer program, open up the land borders in the state and bring prosperity to the country.
“In the hope that it will help small business owners like me to support state business, although I was not a beneficiary of any of APC’s empowerment programs, I hope to be in the future,” said the tea seller. .
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“I’m hoping he means what he said. I know him as an experienced politician who has held different positions and he will use his experience to tackle all the problems of the state,” said Abdulmumini Sa’adu, a voter who attended the rally.
“Leadership deserves leaders like him, he has done it before, so I have confidence in him because he knows all the techniques to solve common problems.
“I hope that the elections will be held peacefully and that my gubernatorial candidate Umar Namadi and all the other contenders under the APC in Jigawa will be declared the winners in the elections.
“I am pleased with the management of APC from the state level to the federal government, that is why I am supporting them, insecurity is something that is being addressed and we at Jigawa are grateful that our state is safe under the commitment of Governor Muhammad Badaru. Abubakar, Mr. Sa said ‘adu.
Another resident of the state, Illiyasu Jaudi, said that if the CPA presidential candidate is sincere in his promises, then God will help him keep them.
“My opinion on the promises of what the presidential candidate did is to pray for him that Allah gives him the strength to fulfill all the promises.
“If God gave him the mandate, he will keep the promises because whatever good a leader intends to do to his followers, once he has good intentions in his mind, God will help him fulfill his wish,” Mr. Jaudi, Voter of the district of Jigawa Tsada. saying.