2023: Tinubu not for cash and carry, container economy – Alake

The Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu Presidential Campaign Council says that Sen. Bola Tinubu, the APC 2023 presidential candidate, is not concerned about cash and carry or container economy, but for something more enduring for Nigerians.

Mr Dele Alake, the council’s Director of Strategic and Communication said this while speaking in a current affairs programme on Tuesday night.

Alake, however, noted that the economy, security and the vision of a particular presidential candidate to deal with them would influence voting decisions in the elections.

He added that Nigeria needed a leader with vision, knowledge and courage, attributes he said Tinubu embodied.

“There is no gainsaying the fact of all the candidates competing for votes to solve these problems, Tinubu stands far ahead of the competitors.

“In terms of track record of performance as a governor, in terms of leadership, social engineering, mental development, Tinubu is an embodiment of all the leadership qualities for a country eager to develop,” Alake said.

He said Tinubu as Lagos State Governor for two-terms, left records yet to be beaten and built the Lekki Free Trade Zone and a new city – the Atlantic City out of the Atlantic Ocean.

He added that Tinubu turned the Bar Beach around and saved it from ocean surge.

“While the then Federal Government was sand-filling the ocean, literally pouring sand worth billions of naira into the ocean.

“Tinubu conceived a permanent and enduring solution, we travelled to South Africa, we went to the Netherlands and found a solution that today, led to the Atlantic City,” Alake said.

On the third force movement triggered by Peter Obi, Labour Party 2023 presidential candidate, Alake said he could not deny the groundswell of frustration among Nigerian youths that led to the movement.

This, he said, was the driving force of Obi’s popularity on social media, adding that the feeling was natural and the pent-up anger real.

He noted that as Nigerians, we all had opinions on how things should be or ought to be, saying that this was what was being aggregated on social media.

He, however, added that social media would not determine the outcome of 2023 general elections.

“The population of the social media warriors will not necessarily translate into votes, especially among rural dwellers, whoever is basing Obi’s popularity on social media, has missed it,” Alake said.

He said the APC presidential campaign council would deal with the Obi problem when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) authorised the beginning of campaign at the end of September.

He, however, explained that there was no basis of comparison between Tinubu and Obi, saying that many of Obi’s social media supporters were in it for entertainment and not because they were committed.

He said supporters of Obi had not really analysed his performance as a governor or his antecedents.

“If you put all the antecedents of the candidates on a table, Obi will trail far behind the others.

“There is no basis of comparison between Obi and Tinubu, the difference is clear. It’s like that between the fluke and the substance”, Alake stressed.