Tinubu: ‘I left Lagos for Abuja without real confidence that I will win APC presidential primary’

Tinubu said this at the Lagos APC secretariat on Acme Road, Ogba, during the party’s caucus meeting.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State led all members of the State Executive Council to the meeting, which was presided over by the Lagos APC chairman, Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi.

Tinubu said that he returned to his political base to meet the Lagos APC family stronger than he left it.

According to him, those entrusted with the administration of the party affairs after he weaned himself off the supervisory duty have not made him regret his decision to pursue his presidential ambition.

He passed a vote of confidence on Sanwo-Olu and other party leaders for nurturing the APC political machinery in the state, stressing that the party remained unbeatable in Lagos.

”I left Lagos for Abuja, leaving the party members with Sanwo-Olu, Hamzat, leaders of the Governor’s Advisory Council and other party leaders.

”They are the ones who released me to go to Abuja to contest. I left with many doubts and I was uncertain about what would be the fate of the party. I was constantly in touch with the governor and his deputy.

”Sometimes, I would call the party chairman and ask them if we were doing the right thing in Lagos. The reports they always gave me gave me more courage and confidence to move on with my engagement in Abuja.

”I thank all of our leaders for keeping the party stronger. I handed over to you an undefeated platform in Lagos. The manner with which the party affairs have been conducted shows these people have fairly managed the home base,” Tinubu said.

He recalled that his journey to secure the party’s presidential nomination in Abuja was littered with uncertainties, but said the support raised from Lagos APC leadership boosted his confidence to move on and win the primaries.

The party leader said he was in the presidential race to win, but that his fate was in the hands of the party members, who must work hard to get votes for the party at the polls.

Tinubu urged party supporters to move out to the communities in their numbers and canvass voters.

He said that the work must start with the 57 local council chairmen, for them to reach out to aggrieved members of the party at the grassroots, in order to deliver more votes for APC in the general elections.

”Our Local Government chairmen must do better than any other person in delivering votes for our party. You met this party already built with structures across the communities.

”There may be little cracks here and there, you know what to do. Manage your anger. There is no politics without anger and pain. But with the pain comes the joy of victory.

”We are giving you an assignment to go back and recruit others. We must forget about the opposition, let’s put our effort on the voters.

”This is the time to reach out to aggrieved members and invite them back to the party fold. This is not the time to be angry and spill the beans. We must work together to achieve the bigger goal before us,” Tinubu said.

Sanwo-Olu said that APC in Lagos was facing the most critical election, as winning the presidency would be the biggest political prize to win.

He told the party supporters not to rest on their oars, but to work for the party’s victory across board.

”Asiwaju has done several things for all of us in one form or the other. He has come to this same place to support several of us as governors, senators, House of Representatives, and House of Assembly members.

”He has done the assignments effortlessly in the past 23 years without asking for anything.

”God has now given us the unique opportunity today for us for the first time to also raise his hands up as our donation of the best in class to the entire country.

”I urge all of us to work for the victory of Asiwaju at polling unit by polling unit, ward by ward, and local government by local government,” he said.