Barring any last-minute change, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) will officially kick-off its presidential campaign in Jos, the Plateau State capital, today.
The party is fielding a former Governor of Lagos State, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and a former Governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima, as presidential candidate and running mate respectively ahead of the 2023 polls.
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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) lifted the ban on public campaigns on September 28.
The APC had made several attempts to flag off its campaigns, but the internal crisis regarding the composition of its Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) led to the delay.
According to the APC timetable and schedule of activities for the 2023 presidential poll, the official kick-off of the party’s campaign rally will take place today in Jos, while several town hall meetings would be held with stakeholders across the country.
The party has equally slated December 4 to 10 for “international engagements”.
The Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong, who is the Director General of the APC PCC, recently constituted a 40-member Local Organising Committee (LOC) to ensure the success of today’s event.
The rally would be an avenue for APC leaders to sell their “products” to Nigerians, and especially the manifesto of its presidential candidate, Tinubu.
Our correspondent reports that security personnel have been stationed in strategic locations in Jos while fighter jets were seen hovering over the city ahead of the flag off.
Lalong told journalists after inspecting the Rwang Pam Township Stadium, venue of the campaign, that the city was ready to receive the party’s bigwigs.
Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has held a pre-campaign kick-off meeting with Tinubu and APC’s National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu.
The Special Assistant to the President on Digital Communications, Bashir Ahmad, announced the meeting which held late Sunday night in the presidential villa, Abuja.
President Buhari had arrived Abuja same Sunday evening from a two-week medical trip to London.
But while speaking on Monday morning, Ahmad said he did not have details of the deliberations of the meeting, but could confirm it was all about putting finishing touches to the kick-off of the party’s presidential campaign.
He said, “All I know about the meeting is that it was for the preparation towards the kick-off of the campaigns taking place in Plateau tomorrow (today).”
By Muideen Olaniyi, Saawua Terzungwe (Abuja) & Ado A. Musa (Jos)
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