By Moses Okorie
Dr. Obinna Simon, popularly known as MC Tagwaye, chairmanship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) for the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) ahead of the February 21 FCT Council Elections, has stated that he would make the chairmanship position of AMAC as a solid foundation for his ascension into higher positions in Nigerian polity.
Tagwaye made this assertion on Friday when his campaign train stormed Nyanya Ward of the area council where he visited the traditional rulers both of the indigenous and non-indigenes as well as the Moslem community, leaderships of Nyanya Market.
He promised to make life better for the people of AMAC, if elected, and encouraged the people to shun voter-apathy and come out in their numbers to exercise their franchise.
He said that council’s election is the most important poll among the rest because it is the government that is closer to the people hence the need for them to decide who governs them.
Addressing business people at Nyanya Market, Dr. Obinna Simon said, “I am not here to deceive anybody. AMAC is like a starting point to me and I intend to make the foundation very, very solid. And making it very solid, is by giving the people the dividends of democracy.
“I am one person that when I do good to people, I am very happy. If you ask me to list my hubbies, the first one is helping people. I have a foundation that I have been running with my money since 2017. I have never gotten a grant from anybody; how much more if it is with government resources. Be rest assured.
“I know the value of market; I know what we can do here to enhance revenue that would benefit you and also the area council. A market like this should have an edifies of microfinance bank own by the area council to enhance your businesses.
“You can obtain loan to carry out your business activities and then pay back. You can approach the bank, collect money and do business, and when you do so, N500,000 to N1,000,000 would come out of it. That is part of what we will do for the market people.
At Gbagalape community, also in the Nyanya Ward, Obinna Simon and his team were hosted by the Tiv Community including traditional rulers of the Tiv people who came from different communities within and outside Nyanya Ward.
They appreciated Dr. Obinna Simon and his political party for considering one of them, Mrs. Georgina Ngufan Jogo as his running mate, saying Tiv people, despite their numeric strength have been neglected by successive governments, and vowed that they would canvass support from all their people across AMAC to give the SDP 100 percent vote, because a vote for SDP means actualizing the chances of Tiv person to emerge as vice chairman of AMAC.
Appreciating the Tiv community, Mrs. Ngufan Jogo thanked them for standing with her and showing the SDP every necessary support and encouragement, and urged them to ensure that their effort is not in vain by coming out to vote and protect their votes on the election day.
The team also visited the traditional ruler of Gbagalape, the non-indigenes, the Hausa community, and all of them vowed to vote for SDP come February 21.
The traditional ruler decried that no indigene of Gbagalape can boast of working with the AMAC administration even though they have graduates, he also complained that the road from Nyanya to the community stopped at the entrance, and solicited that SDP candidate should intervene once he emerges.