Why Northern Elders Are ‘Divided’ Over Tinubu, Atiku’s Candidacy – APC Chieftain Explains

Former presidential aspirant, Adamu Garba, has revealed why northern elder statesmen are divided between supporting the presidential candidates of All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s Atiku Abubakar.

Garba, who is also a northerner, explained that it was the agenda of the Northerners that power remains in the region.

The APC chieftain said there was much expectation in the north that one of their sons would emerge as the ruling party’s candidate during its presidential primaries months ago.

He explained that since Tinubu eventually emerged as the winner of the primary election, the oldest political class in the North began to align with PDP’s presidential candidate to keep up with their agenda of having a northerner succeed President Muhammadu Buhari come 2023.

Naija News reports that Garba revealed these in video clips on his verified Twitter page on Wednesday morning.

Claiming to clarify the current political situation in the North, Garba said: “Let me help you make sense of the current political permutations that are taking place. Before the primary elections, there was this new momentum that power must remain in the North.

“And immediately, there were two camps. A camp belongs to the oldest political class in the North. Our most respected elder statesmen believe that power must remain in the north.

“While the middle top leaders of the North, the emerging one believe that yes power must remain at the north, but has to pass through democratic processes, that is prior to the APC primaries,” Garba explained.

The politician explained further: “So through the build-up to the APC primaries, it was expected that a northerner would emerge as the party’s candidate, and of course, you know how it turned out.

“Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, from the South, a Yoruba, succeeded in getting the presidential ticket.

“Immediately, the new emerging middle leaders of the north decided to side with Bola Tinubu, in unison, believing in the principle of democracy.

“Our top most respected elder statesmen in the north believe that power should still remain in the North at all cost.”

Most Elderstatemen In The North Do Not Trust Atiku

The APC chieftain stressed that the development was why some northern elders immediately queued “behind his excellency, the Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, to become the president simply because he is from the North.”

According to him, most of the political elites in the north, the eldest, do not agree with Atiku and neither do they trust him, but they still want to support him because they want their original interest to be sustained.

“That is the game at play. One thing I want you to know, Nigerians, is that we are passing through a political transition in the North, from the leadership that has been there for a very long time, respected and reliable to a new leadership that is emerging, also respected and reliable.

“And you know political transitions are often turbulent and sometimes even painful. And that is the situation we are in,” Garba stressed.

He added that the emerging leaders were all interested and in support that democracy must be respected and power must shift to the South.