2023: APC Moneybags ‘ll Lose Monies in Contest Against People’s Will – Gaya

Sen. Kabiru Gaya, Chairman, The Progressive Project (TPP) says moneybags within and outside the APC will lose their monies in any contest against the people’s will.

He said this at a news conference on Thursday in Abuja, on his assumption of office as chairman of TPP.

He explained that the TPP remained a mass based, citizen-driven project, rallying support for Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to become the 2023 presidential candidate of the APC.

Gaya while speaking on the N100 million cost to purchase the APC Expression of Interest and Nomination forms for presidential aspirants, said Osinbajo`s aspiration was not about personal ambition.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the APC expression of interest and nomination forms for the 2023 presidential and governorship aspirants was pegged at N100 million and N50 million respectively.

Aspirants for senatorial positions would pay N20 million for the forms, House of Representatives, N10 million and House of Assembly aspirants N2 million.

According to Gaya, the presidential aspiration of Osinbajo is a positive response to a populist call from a citizen-driven mobilization.

He, therefore, assured that his supporters would do everything possible to ensure that Osinbajo emerged as APC presidential candidate for the 2023 presidential election, including purchasing the forms for him.

He added that supporters of the vice president were ready to raise the N100 million to purchase the forms for him to contest the party`s ticket at its presidential primaries.

The APC special convention for its 2023 presidential primaries had been fixed for May 30 to June 1.

“Even an internal issue of the price of our party’s nomination form is being deliberately misinterpreted in some circles, when we feel confident that unlike moneybags, our truly populist candidate is popular enough to pool supporters’ token donations and raise such money with ease.

“Just one youth group with TPP; the Progressive Group alone, said they can raise N100 million with rough voluntary contributions of N10, 000 each.

“Our populist Mathematics is flawless and very strong; moneybags within or outside APC will only lose their dollars in any contest against the people’s will,’’ Gaya said.

He said unlike the history of some other political parties, records had showed that neither APC presidential ticket nor its Vice Presidential slot had ever been won by throwing money around.

He said the TPP was monitoring the heightened propaganda and sponsored articles of calumny against Osinbajo in the past few days.

Gaya, however, added that the TPP would not descend low to play gutter politics, saying that it had continued to warn its supporters against involvement in insults and vilification.

“We are democrats, we believe in uniting people and in submitting ourselves and competing ideas to the people’s evaluation and decisions through the ballot box.

“I thank the millions of great patriots, including APC members and members of opposition parties and all those non-partisan Nigerians who steadfastly believe in the candidature of Osinbajo as the best option for moving Nigeria forward.

“More than any other presidential aspirant in Nigeria today, Osinbajo is far ahead of any other when it comes to possibilities of winning votes across party lines.

My message to all of us today is that we have to further involve other stakeholders in all that we are doing,“ he said.

He added that like the symbolic bunch of broomsticks that could not be broken, APC members could contribute toward achieving great progress for the party and the country.

He thanked the party’s close to eight thousand delegates that would be attending its presidential primaries for their objective sensitivity.

He also thanked the party`s governors, lawmakers, and its leaders for their efforts at building the party.

“Our recalibration for an impactful political transformation entails pooling all our contacts, experience and other resources so that all other groups can contribute towards actualizing a formidable political front.

“So far, our women and youth groups are doing well but we need to sustain the tempo and even do more, the TPP chairman said.

He further thanked the Nigerian mass media for keeping alive, the sense of patriotic mission which he said had existed through since the days of the struggle for the country`s independence.

He assured that the TPP would endeavor to carry everyone who genuinely believed in being a significant part of its activities along.

According to him, Osinbajo is having increasing chances of winning the forthcoming presidential primaries as well as the presidential elections.
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