…as Engineer Sule, Al-makura, Senator Wadada eulogize Aliyu Bello
National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has vowed to protect the mandate of the party in Nasarawa, stressing that that the party won the 2023 gubernatorial election in the state.
Ganduje made this know while speaking at the grand reception organized in honour of the Nasarawa State Chairman of the APC, Hon. Aliyu Bello, which held at the City Hall, Lafia, on Saturday.
According to the APC National Chairman, who was represented at the event by Alhaji Muazu Rijau, National Vice Chairman (North Central), the party would protect its mandate in Nasarawa State.
“We have won the election, and we shall protect our mandate. There is no doubt about it. Nasarawa State belongs to APC, and APC belongs to Nasarawa State. We are in charge, and we will continue to be in charge by the grace of God,” Ganduje stated.
This is just as Nasarawa State Governor, Engineer Abdullahi Sule, his immediate predecessor, Senator Umaru Tanko Al-makura and lawmaker representing Nasarawa West at the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly, Senator Ahmed Aliyu Wadada, amongst other dignitaries, eulogized the leadership qualities of Hon. Aliyu Bello.
For Engineer Sule, Hon. Aliyu Bello stands out as a politician that is capable of providing the necessary leadership for the APC to facilitate for his administration to translate its vision into reality for the state.
According to the Governor, Nasarawa State only began to witness genuine development in 2011 after the coming of the defunct Congress Progressives Change (CPC), which later metamorphosed into the APC.
“The real development that started in Nasarawa State did not start until 2011. It was at the time we started to see resemblance to some kind of development. Development in education, development in health, development in infrastructure, development in roads. Development in the way forward.
“In APC we have vision, in APC we have the experience, in APC we have the commitment, in APC we have the love for our state and its people. More importantly, believe it or not, we have the fear of the Almighty Allah in us.
“And that is the reason why since we started, we have seen the development of Nasarawa not only in education, infrastructure, and the rest but we are now having a state in the northern part of the country that has oil in Obi Local Government Area. We worked hard to ensure that that oil is drilled. We worked to ensure that more exploration was carried out to discover more oil reserves. We now believe that in the entire northern part of the country, there is no reserve as big as the one in Keana, Obi and Assakio.
“And by the grace of God, it will be the same APC government that will ensure the development of that well to full potential for the benefit of the people of Nasarawa State.
“Just few days back, about two or three days ago, we were in Nasarawa Local Government Area. We were in Nasarawa Local Government Area to perform the stone laying of the biggest lithium processing factory in Africa, 18,000 metric tones per day.
“For those who don’t understand what lithium is, lithium is the backbone of electric cars, telephones and car batteries. Because of the high demand for lithium, lithium rose from 6, 800 dollars a ton to now 78, 000 dollars per ton. And Nasarawa has one of the highest reserve in the whole country. This is the reason why we are having three different factories that would be processing nothing but lithium in Uke, Nasarawa, and Endo,” he stated.
The Governor said Aliyu Bello couldn’t have come at a better to reunite the APC and make it a formidable political party.
He however called for unity among members of the party, especially that everyone that matters within the party was at the reception.
“Aliyu Bello came at a time to reunite this party. My happiest moment as a Governor will not be complete until I hand over to another APC Governor. That will be the day I will be the happiest man on earth. I know Aliyu Bello alone can not do it. But that will be if we all cooperate with him. I have no doubt in my mind that he can do it. We can’t be all senators, we cannot all be governors, members of House of Assembly or Speakers, but if we work together, we can make our party great.
“The presence of everyone that I have seen here makes it easier for us to be able to achieve our goals. In reality, APC is Aliyu Bello, and Aliyu Bello is APC. Indeed, APC is Nasarawa State, and Nasarawa is APC,” he said.
In a goodwill message, immediate past governor of the state, Senator Umaru Tanko Al-makura, said considering Aliyu Bello’s trajectory and pedigree, Nasarawa State couldn’t have a better APC Chairman at this time.
“We are very lucky to have at this stage of the development of the party, someone like Aliyu Bello. This is someone who has cut his teeth in political activities and administration for so many decades. Starting during student life and when he got into the party mainstream, he has always participated as an insider, a team player, a very faithful friend to all and sundry. To add all, his philanthropic activities will be a plus for his position as the Chairman because it will galvanize support across the board for our party. Aliyu Bello has been an engine room of many political activities with the coming of the APC, Aliyu Bello now became the engine room of APC in Nasarawa State,” the former governor said.
While calling on members of the party to cooperate and support the APC Chairman, Senator Al-makura used the opportunity to call on the people to shun rumour mongering and acts capable of causing disunity within the party.
“I want to also call on us to please continue to work together. Let’s avoid rumour mongering, let’s avoid anything that will bring disunity amongst ourselves. We have been together, we are together and if we love this state, if we love this party, we should continue to be together as one strong, united family,” he added.
For Senator Ahmed Aliyu Wadada, the APC State Chairman symbolizes leadership because leadership is about service. Leadership is about loyalty.
“Leadership is about commitment and leadership ultimately is about sharing. You share everything you have as a leader. You share your wealth, you share your riches, you share your knowledge, you share your love and you share your pocket. And Aliyu Bello symbolizes all these,” he said.
Also speaking, Speaker, Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon Ibrahim Balarabe Abdullahi, assured that the legislature will support the party under the leadership of Hon. Aliyu Bello, as well as the administration of Engineer Sule until 2027 by the grace of God.
In a vote of thanks, State Secretary of the APC, Yarus Gbeba Dagusa, appreciated all those who attended the event, having left their tight schedules to honour Hon. Aliyu Bello, who has been variously described as an epitome of humility, a philanthropist, a leader and a man with focus.