The PDP presidential candidate for 2023 has urged Northerners to vote for him because he is from the North and they should ignore southern candidates.
Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) presidential candidate, has stated that during the 2023 elections, folks from Northern Nigeria do not need to vote for candidates from the Southern part of Nigeria.
Atiku, the self-described “unifier” and former vice president of Nigeria, made this statement in response to a question presented to him by Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, spokesman for the Northern Elders Forum, NEF, during an interactive session with the Arewa Joint Committee that took place on Saturday in Kaduna State.
In the now viral video that MandyNews.com obtained, the 75-year-old politician claims that because he is a Pan-Nigerian of northern descent, northerners should support him over a Yoruba or Igbo candidate.
Atiku responded to Baba-Ahmed when the PDP presidential candidate called into question why Northerners should support him:
- “What the average Northerner needs is somebody who’s from the north and also understands that part of the country and has been able to build bridges across the country.
- “This is what the Northerner needs, it doesn’t need a Yoruba or Igbo candidate, I stand before you as a Pan-Nigerian of northern origin.”
Nigeria is a secular state, but since Muhammadu Buhari, its current president, took office on May 29, 2015, the nation has been more divided than ever. Buhari is Nigeria’s 15th president.
As a result, Atiku Abubakar has pledged to unite the nation and restore peace.
Before the presidential primary election, which was held on June 6 and 7, at Eagle Square in Abuja, Tinubu made a similar statement while urging party members to support him in Abeokuta, Ogun State. The statement included several Yoruba terms that have since been the topic of disputes.
The former Lagos governor used the terms “emi lokan,” “eleyi,” and “olule,” which respectively mean “it’s my turn,” “this one,” and “beaten down.”
Mr. Tinubu also said that it is the Yoruba people’s turn to elect the future president of Nigeria while speaking to the people of Osun State during the Oyetola governorship campaign.
Peter Obi, the former governor of Anambra State who is the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, has stated several times while speaking to the audience that no one should vote for him because he is from the eastern part of Nigeria.
