Former Lagos Commissioner for Transportation Dr Kayode Opeifa has said the Tinubu/Shetimma presidential ticket remains the best pair for Nigerians at this critical moment.
He expressed optimism the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) will win the February 25, 2023 presidential poll.
Opeifa spoke in Abuja at the weekend during a capacity-building session for affiliated support groups with the theme: “Tinubu/Shetimma Ticket: A pan-Nigerian Project” under Project Beyond 2023 by Asiwaju Grassroot Foundation (AGF).
Speaking on the topic:” Knowing your brand, message, medium, target audience and allies during the campaign,” Opeifa said Tinubu/Shetimma represents the essence of integrity, impeccable capacity and people with vision.
He stressed the need for the participants at the training to understand their products (Tinubu/Shetimma), adding that in marketing the APC candidates “we should let them know that they represent the essence of integrity, impeccable capacity and people with vision.”
Applauding the APC flag bearers, Opeifa noted that the country has never had a formidable ticket like that of Tinubu/Shetimma, insisting: “This is the first time in history that we will have a president and the vice presidents coming from private sector backgrounds.
“You all know what it means to work in the private sector for international companies. Work with Deloitte, you work with an international oil company. No international company would engage you if you are not brilliant.
“So, we need to know that none of the competitors can pose these qualifications. Where you have to go with private sector background, the experience is going to be different, the service delivery is going to be different because they are coming with the knowledge.
“We are proud of the products that we have. We know they have done it before. We know they can do even better.
“So we must be ready to position ourselves to take advantage of the beauty that’s embedded in the ticket. So we need to go out and tell Nigerians what this man represents.”
He added: “From all records, from past records, from antecedents, Nigerians know that Asiwaju and Shettima are the best pair that Nigerians deserve. This is the ticket that will sustain the hope in the minds of average Nigerians. These are the two people that will erase the fault lines that are dividing us.
“Our principals, our products, and our brand are the best for Nigeria. These are two people that have demonstrated when given the opportunity. They have not created religion and tribal tension in the states they have governed. They have no records of discrimination between religious groups in Nigeria, they have no record of discrimination between tribal groups in Nigeria.
“They have demonstrated capacity to develop education, to develop economy, build bridges, build leaders, they have good successors, their successors are still with them. Go to all these other people, where are their successors? Where are the people who brought them to power, they are all gone?” Opeifa queries.
The Director-General of Asiwaju Grassroots Foundation (AGF) organisers of “Asiwaju Project Beyond 2023”, Realwan Okpanachi, said the capacity-building project was to prepare support groups with campaign tools for the marketing of all APC candidates, especially Tinubu/Shetimma presidential ticket.
He said the training session will be phased to cover all the 774 local government areas in the country, adding that participants were drawn from over 600 support groups that registered with the project in the first phase of the training programme.
The Nation Newspaper