Olayiwola Matthew
Atiku Abubakar, former vice-president and chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), says no northern political figure commands more votes in the region than he does.
Abubakar spoke on Wednesday during an interview on Arise TV’s Prime Time programme.
“Can you tell me, among the current leaders in the north, who has more votes than I have?” he asked.
He added that none of Aminu Tambuwal, former governor of Sokoto and serving senator; Rabiu Kwankwaso, ex-governor of Kano and former defence minister; and Nasir el-Rufai, former governor of Kaduna and former minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT); matches his electoral strength in the region.
“I mean, you are talking about figures like Tambuwal, you are talking about figures like Kwankwaso, and others, and el-Rufai, and also the emerging political figures,” he said.
“None of them has got that northern bloc vote as much as I have got.”
Responding to a question on Kwankwaso’s influence in Kano, Abubakar acknowledged the former governor’s political clout in the state.
He, however, said the voting base in the state is now divided.
“Well, the absence of it may affect, but even in his own case, you can see how Kano is now split between himself and his former governor
“So there is even a split in that,” he said.
The former vice-president has run for the number one office six times, appearing on the ballot as a presidential candidate on three occasions — 2007, 2019, and 2023.
During the interview, the Adamawa-born politician said he will pursue a constitutional amendment to establish rotational presidency if elected president in 2027.
