Why Ganduje’s support for Tinubu is creating division between 2 Northern groups

The political campaigns towards the emergence of a Presidential candidate in 2023 is gathering a new wave or relationship and at the same time, is also causing divisions in the North as a concerned group has faulted the call by the Kano state governor, Abdullahi Ganduje for the north to support Asiwaju Tinubu’s presidential ambition.

Ganduje had sometime in February, noted that the northern region had thrown their weight and support behind the candidacy of the former Lagos governor, Asiwaju Tinubu.

The Kano state governor made the remark when the Northern Youth Professionals for Tinubu, an organisation that supports Tinubu’s ambition inaugurated their new office complex along Hadeja Road in Kano on Monday.

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Ganduje had advised the Northerners and also noted that the whole Northern region was in support of the emergence of a southwest president the same way the region had supported the north in 2015 during President Muhammadu Buhari’s emergence

This theory did not go down well with a section of a northern group as they carpeted Ganduje’s statement where he said the whole Northern region was behind Asiwaju Tinubu’s ambition.

The group, Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF) slammed the Kano state governor for endorsing Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s presidential ambition on behalf of the North.

According to the  National President of AYCF, Yerima Shettima, he said that Governor Ganduje did not make the endorsement on behalf of the entire North adding that “North is not Lagos”

Shettima further noted that Ganduje was entitled to his opinion, as his statement was an expensive joke.

In reply to the Arewa youth forum’s statement, another northern group, the Northern caucus of the Tinubu presidential support group, Asiwaju Project Beyond 2023, has weighed in on the recent issue.

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The group, while slamming the statement of the Arewa youths forum had noted that the Kano State governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, in fact, had spoken for the whole and the entire northern part of Nigeria when he confirmed the North’s support for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s presidential ambition.

The group led by North-East Mobilisation Director of the Project, Hon. Buhari Hussaini, the North-West Mobilisation Hon. Adamu Birniwa, and Hajiya Halima Mohammed, North-Central Mobilisation Director of the Project Beyond 2023, blasted the Arewa youth forum president for attacking Governor Ganduje, saying Shettima lacked the “locus standi” to speak for the North.

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From all indications, the Arewa youth forum has been in the picture for a long time and with their level of cooperation, the group has been involved in decision making for the region in recent times.

The question to be asked now is, does Ganduje and the political pressure group, the Asiwaju Project Beyond 2023 have the “locus standi” to speak for the entire Northern region?

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The Arewa youth group’s position that Governor Ganduje did not speak for the entire north may be partially true as the north still has the PDP and other political parties who may field candidates for the election.

For Ganduje, he may have made a political statement by saying that the north was behind Tinubu’s ambition.

The Arewa youth forum’s reply was a normal thing to do which is what is obtainable in democracy.

For the North, the involvement of the royal fathers and a larger part of the region in the campaign of a would-be political office holder would signal a direction for a political event and that has not happened until now.

At the moment, it is safe to say there is no direction yet from the elders of the land on the issue and Ganduje would have known better than to announce the North’s preference for Tinubu’s ambition.

It is very ok to pronounce a personal preference for a candidate seeking a political office but roping the whole North into the issue has created this division between the different Northern groups.