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From John Adams, Minna
As the emergence of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the Presidential candidate of the People Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 general election continues to generate mixed feelings within the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC), the Chieftain of the party and former Commissioner for Information Culture and Tourism in Niger State, Jonathan Vatsa has said that the only way the ruling party can make any impart in the general election is to adopt the former Lagos State governor, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu as its Presidential Candidate.
The former Commissioner who was reacting to insinuations by some stakeholders that following the emergence of Atiku Abubakar as PDP flag bearer, the ruling party should field a northern candidate in the 2023 election in an interview in Minna, argued that there is no northern Aspirant that has the pedigree to withstand Atiku in the forthcoming election.
Vatsa pointed out that contrary to fear that the northerners will vote along religious and ethnic lines, “it will interest Nigerians to know that average northerners are tired of northern leadership because the common man on the street in the north has not benefitted anything from the 52 years that the region has ruled this country”.
While justifying his support for the Candidacy of Bola Tinubu, the former Publicity secretary of the party in the state maintained that the late M.K.O Abiola won a Presidential election in 1993 overwhelmingly against a northern candidate, the late Bashir Tofa, and wonder while Tinubu can not do the same in 2023.
According to Vatsa, “Northern leadership in the last 52 years has only brought, poverty, hunger, increase the level of illiteracy and now high level of Insecurity. I can tell you that in a free and fair election, the northerners will want a change of leadership to the south, there no sense going for something that does not profit you.
“The North today has the highest number of out of school children, the highest number of beggars on the streets, it is the poorest region in Nigeria, it play host to the world number sixth Terrorists organization, yet the North has being in the power for 52 years now, this is an error”, he said.
The APC Chieftain said that while Tinubu in all his political life has continue to build bridges and making people, an average northerner is only building dynasty for himself and his family, stressing “we in the north are only interested in ourself and our immediate family, and building dynasty for ourselves if not how can a region be in the helm of affairs for 52 years and the people have nothing to show for it.
“The northern leaders usually sale region and ethnicity to the poor man on the streets when they are looking for power, but immediately they get the power they forget the poor man, the forget that there is religion, they forget ethnicity. That is why they refused to educate the people to avoid any resistance from them. They know that knowledge is power, therefore they refused to provide education for them”.
He believed that those clamoring for a northern candidate for the ruling All Progressive Congress because of the emergence of Atiku are not in tune with the reality in the north, adding that “Wike’s Performance in the PDP Presidential Primary election against Atiku is enough to tell the whole world that the northerners are tired of their leaders.
“Wike would have defeated Atiku if the South had stood for him. Majority of his votes are from the north, that is why I am saying Tinubu will give Atiku a nightmare in the general election. Tinubu is very acceptable in the north and in the southwest. He is the only person with the capacity to face Atiku in the general election. A northern candidate for APC will be a walkover for Atiku, and that is my candid opinion”,
He submitted.
