By Destiny Obinna
President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has urged the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement to take President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope message across the country and promote national unity, consensus-building and national renewal.
Akpabio spoke on Friday at the formal commissioning of the support group’s campaign headquarters in Abuja, where he said the inauguration should reaffirm Nigerians’ belief in the country’s future and their determination to overcome its challenges.
Addressing members of the movement, the Senate President said elections might be won at the ballot box, but lasting national progress depended on connecting with citizens and addressing their concerns.
“You have recognised a fundamental truth of democracy: elections may be won at the ballot box, but enduring national progress is built in the hearts and homes of the people,” he said.
Akpabio said Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda was founded on the belief that the country’s present difficulties should not determine the future of the next generation.
He urged members of the movement to go beyond seeking political support by listening to the concerns of traders, farmers, unemployed graduates and young entrepreneurs.
He also called for the campaign headquarters to serve as a centre for engagement, national solidarity and public service, open to Nigerians irrespective of ethnicity, religion, region or political affiliation.
According to him, the challenges facing Nigerians should not weaken their determination, while politics should never take precedence over patriotism.
Akpabio reaffirmed the National Assembly’s commitment to enacting legislation aimed at strengthening the economy, expanding opportunities, protecting democracy and improving citizens’ welfare.
He further urged members of the support group to build bridges across ethnic, religious and political divides.
“Let us move from door to door, but above all, from heart to heart. Let us build bridges where others see barriers, inspire confidence where others spread despair, and plant the seeds of tomorrow’s prosperity in the soil of today’s sacrifice,” he said.
The campaign headquarters was commissioned by the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu. The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, and some state governors also attended the event.
The PBAT Door-to-Door Movement was established by Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo.