Presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has said that the average Northerner prefer a northerner like himself and not a Yoruba or Igbo Candidate.
Atiku made the assertion while fielding questions from the spokesman Northern Elders Forum, NEF, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed during an interactive session with the Arewa Joint Committee in Kaduna on Saturday (today).
The event which was jointly organised by Northern groups including the Arewa Consultative Forum, Arewa House, Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation, Northern Elders Forum, and Arewa Research and Development Project, among others was monitored by Truthlive.net on Arise TV.
He said, “I have tranversed the whole of this country, I know the whole of this country, I think what the average northerner needs somebody who is from the north and also understands other parts of Nigeria and who has been able to build bridges across the length of the country.”
“It doesn’t need a Yoruba or an Igbo Candidate, this is what a northerner needs.”
“So I believe I stand before you, a Pan-Nigerian of Northern origin.”
His statement had since generated condemnation from several Nigerians who believe that he shouldn’t have made such statement as a candidate who seeks to represent the interest of Nigerians across all ethnic backgrounds.
Recall that there has been crisis rocking the PDP over the zoning of both the chairmanship and presidential candidacy to the North.
Aggrieved party chieftains including Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and his Allies -four southern governors- have since insisted that the party would only have there support if the chairman of the party, Ayorcha Ayu resigns.
See video below: