From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
A recent widely circulated voice note of a Northern elder, Alhaji Sani Zangon Daura, calling on northerners to reject presidential candidates of Southern Nigeria extraction, has rattled the North West All Progressive Congress (APC).
Reacting through a statement on Monday, the Spokesperson, North West APC Presidential campaign council, Muhammad Shehu Molash dismissed the northern elder, saying he was, “hiding under a bogus northern agenda to promote individual and self serving interest”.
“Our attention has been drawn to a widely circulated voice note of a supposedly Northern elder, Alh Sani Zangon Daura, calling on Northerners to reject Presidential candidates of Southern Nigeria’s extraction.
“While we note the elder statesman’s right to freedom of expression as enshrined in section 39(1) of 1999 constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria, we equally wish to reiterate that the same 1999 constitution unambiguously stated in chapter 2 section 14 and 15 that “Accordingly, National integration shall be actively encouraged, whilst discrimination on the grounds of place of origin, sex, religion, state, ethnic or linguistic associations or ties shall be prohibited”.
“Over the years, the APC’s Presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu had expressly emerged as one of the believers in the Nigerian project, as reflected by his constant support for Presidential candidates of Northern extraction, beginning with his support for Atiku Abubakar in 2007,Nuhu Ribadu in 2011 and the incumbent President, President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015.
“We may recall that Asiwaju Tinubu had equally demonstrated the highest level of patriotism in 2015,by sacrificing his vice Presidential ambition for the unity of the country. The APC presidential ticket of Tinubu/Shettima is merely coincidental, not out of any desire to suppress particular set of people.
“The North West APC Presidential campaign council is therefore calling on Northerners to disregard the antics of these elders, who hide behind a bogus Northern agenda, to promote their individual and self-serving interests.
“We equally wish to remind these elders that the candidacy of Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu was made possible by the overwhelming support that he got from the North West APC governors and other Northern governors, who appreciated and acknowledged his democratic credentials.
“An overview of the life and history of these elders, reveals that they benefited proportionally, from the resources and unity of Nigeria, as such they should please allow other Nigerians to unite themselves by voting in trusted, competent and reliable leaders, regardless of their state of origin in the 2023 general elections God’s willing”. The statement said.
