2023: Tinubu in desperate bid to woo Northern leaders

Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu and his running mate, Kashim Shettima are in a final desperate effort to woo northern leaders ahead of the February presidential elections.

It was learnt that barring any last-minute change of direction, the North might have decided to support one of their own, to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari who will be leaving power in May.

Amidst the disquiet, Tinubu’s running mate, Kashim Shettima, was dispatched to the North-West during the week to interface with traditional rulers and other opinion moulders in the critical zone, in what a source described as a “confidence building” move.

An ally of Tinubu who is also the president of the Arewa Youths Consultative Forum (AYCF), Alhaji Yerima Shettima, on Friday said that he would soon expose APC governors in the North who he said were secretly backing the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

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“The conservative North appears not to trust him (Tinubu) and his running mate who is from a minority ethnic group in the North-East,” the source said.

Kashim Shettima’s inter- face with the rulers started about three weeks ago with visits to some first-class traditional rulers in the North- West. For instance, Shettima has been to the palaces of the Emir of Dutse, the Emir of Kano, the Emir of Katsina, the Emir of Daura and the Emir of Zazzau.

On Wednesday, Shettima continued the interface with visits to the Emir of Yauri in Kebbi State and the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar.

It was learnt that after the North-West, Shettima will proceed to the North-Central where he is expected to pay similar visits to some prominent traditional rulers like the Emir of Borgu, the Ochi Doma, the Emir of Nasarawa, the Emir of Lafia, the Emir of Keffi, the Emir of Pom, the Ohinoyi of Ebira, the Atta of Igala and the Emir of Ilorin.

He will end the interface in the North-East where he is expected to equally visit the Shehu of Borno, the Lamido of Adamawa, the Emir of Bauchi, the Emir of Dass, the Emir Gombe, among other traditional rulers in that zone.

The former governor of Borno State, while speaking with newsmen shortly after his closed-door meeting with the Sultan of Sokoto, allayed all fears, declaring that the APC presidential candidate, Tinubu, would run an all-inclusive government if elected in the February election.

He promised that the Tinubu/APC-led government would continue to consider the interests of all Nigerians while urging the electorate to vote Tinubu as the president of Nigeria.

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He explained that he was in Sokoto on behalf of Tinubu to solicit the prayers of the Sultan for a peaceful conduct of the general election and to pay homage to the traditional ruler.

He noted that the visit to Sokoto State was necessary, being the Seat of the Caliphate, which is historic and strategic to the development and entrenchment of qualitative leadership in Nigeria.

A source who spoke on condition of anonymity revealed that the visit of the vice presidential candidate to Sokoto was to seek support from the Sultan- ate Council.

Meanwhile, the AYCF president, Yerima Shettima, revealed that “the majority of the 19 northern governors are not with the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“I have evidence on the activities of APC governors who are romancing the PDP and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar. Very soon, I will expose them.