Ganduje says Tinubu is set to storm Edo for a mega rally to campaign for APC candidate, receive Shaibu, other decampees

National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Umar Ganduje has disclosed that President Bola Tinubu will be in Benin-City for a mega rally to be organised by the party.

Ganduje made the disclosure on Saturday when he inaugurated the national campaign council of the party for the 2024 governorship election in Edo.

Inaugurating the council headed by Gov. Bassey Ottu of Cross River, Ganduje charged the members to ensure that the party reclaims the state from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Sept. 21 guber poll.

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The national chairman, who was excited with the official decampmen of the state deputy governor, Philip Shaibu to the APC, said the party had secured up to 50 per cent of the people in the government of the State.

He urged the campaign council to swing into action to ensure that all members at the local government areas and unit levels come out to campaign and vote.

“A flag-off rally will soon be organised so that President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu will be in Benin-City.

“We are so happy because our incoming governor and his deputy have already produced a blueprint for the development of Edo state; they are not full with MoUs.

“They are coming with a blueprint and practical steps, so that Edo can fully develop and be connected to the centre,” he said.

The former governor of Kano State said that if the state was not connected to the centre, it would not experience a full political participation and dividends of democracy.

According to him, the only way to achieve this, was by voting for Sen. Monday Okpebholo and his running mate, Dennis Idahosa, who were flying the flag of the party in the election.

Ganduje commended the Oba of Benin for maintaining peace and tranquility in the state, assuring that the incoming APC government would appreciate and respect the traditional council under the Oba of Benin.

Sen. Okpebholo said Edo had never been so divided as it was currently.

The APC candidate castigated Gov. Godwin Obaseki for raising the state debt profile from about ₦43 billion when he took over in 2016 to over ₦500 billion.

“We are here to change it; we are coming to restore infrastructure, to restore education and to restore security to the state. We are bringing practical governance into the state,” he said.