Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has come under fire over comment that northerners needed someone from the north and not a Yoruba nor Igbo candidate in 2023.

Answering questions during an interactive session organised by the Arewa Joint Committee for presidental candidates in Kaduna, Atiku said: “I have traversed the whole of this country. I know the whole of this country. I have built bridges across the whole of this country.

“I think what the northerners need is someone who is from the north and also understands the other parts of Nigeria, who has built bridges across the country. This is what a northerner needs. He doesn’t need a Yoruba candidate or an Igbo candidate.”

His comment has drawn backlash with many accusing him of canvassing for votes along ethnic lines while claiming to be a unifier.

Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, described him as an ethnocentric opportunist.

Asiwaju, in a statement by Bayo Onanuga, director, Media & Publicity, Tinubu-Shettima Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), emphasised that Atiku lacked the rectitude to make such claim.

“The statement of PDP’s presidential candidate, Atiku to the effect that Northerners don’t need a Yoruba or Igbo president is the worst expression of ethnocentric opportunism ever uttered by a former Nigerian Vice President,” Tinubu fired in the opening paragraph. This clearly demonstrates how low a man honoured with the second highest office of the Nigerian Constitution is willing to sink in search of a perennial wild goose chase after the highest office in the land.

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“It confirms the argument that Atiku has feasted on such base, cheap, primordial sentiments to use the masses and the elite of the North as the ladder to ascend to power since 1989 without any dividends to show.

“In clear terms, Atiku who stole the PDP ticket, by a similar mindset, has cast himself as a northern candidate, who should solely be supported by the people from his region. We view Atiku’s public declaration which framed him as an ethnic and regional champion as unbecoming for a man who was once a Vice-President of Nigeria.

“But we are not surprised by his desperate position. Atiku has resorted to whipping up ethnic sentiments, knowing that his chances of being elected have become a mirage. He has himself, not anybody else, to blame for his expected electoral misfortune. First, he broke the fundamental rules of power rotation in his party and the country.

“As if this cardinal sin was not enough, the PDP candidate has remained defiant in the face of pressure by preserving the two topmost posts in his party for people from his region.”

Former vice president of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Kingsley Moghalu, said Atiku saying  what the north needed was a northerner to be president was a direct appeal to divisive ethnic sentiment and a denigration of the largest ethnic groups in Southern Nigeria.

“I was very disappointed to view the video clip of Atiku Abubakar, a former Vice-President of Nigeria, telling an audience in Kaduna that what the North needs is a northerner to be President, and not a Yoruba or Igbo candidate.

“I have a lot of respect for Atiku who, despite his flaws (which all the other leading contenders also have), I have always regarded as a truly cosmopolitan politician in our country.His reference to his “building bridges” across the country does not negate his clear message

“That message was a direct appeal to divisive ethnic sentiment and a denigration of the largest ethnic groups in Southern Nigeria. I think he should withdraw the statement and apologize to Nigerians for it. All candidates in the 2023 presidential election must avoid ethnic or other divisive sentimental appeals,” he said.

In the same vein, founder of Stanbic IBTC, Atedo Peterside, said Atiku misspoke.

“My take is that mistakes will be made by the candidates between now and February 2023. How they own up to and manage their mistakes may well be the difference,” he said.

Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) of the APC described the utterances by Atiku as tomfoolery and threat to national unity.

Director of New Media for the PCC, Femi Fani-Kayode, on his verified Facebook page, attacked the comment as insulting irresponsible and despicable.

He emphasised that unlike Atiku and members of his divided party that do not see Southerns as slaves, many northerners regard the southerners as being equal

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“Such tomfoolery is rarely not seen from the worst amongst us. Atiku’s word are not only unacceptable but also insulting, irresponsible and despicable,” he said

Tinubu interact with Northern leaders

Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, will today honour the invitation of leaders from north under the auspices of Arewa Joint Committee for an interactive session.

The meeting is part of a wider interaction with selected presidential candidates to discuss their plans for the region, ahead of the 2023 general elections.

The event, which holds at the Arewa House in Kaduna, is organised by a coalition of six groups and institutions from the North. They include the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation, Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Arewa House, Jam’iyyar Matan Arewa and Arewa Research and Development Project.

A statement by Tinubu Media Office on Sunday said the APC presidential candidate would attend the event as part of his decision to engage all segments of the Nigerian society with his campaign message of hope, national unity and prosperity.