Ex-APC spokesman attacks Kwankwaso over 8-year southern presidency

Abuja – Former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Yekini Nabena, has chided former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, over his comments against eight-year southern presidency.

He also frowned at Kwankwaso’s recent comment regarding the development and distribution of projects across the country.

While declaring that no ethnic, religious or regional sentiment played up by Kwankwaso against the Southern presidency could hold water, he described as sacrosanct the eight years of a southerner in the seat of power.

Kwankwaso, a leader and 2023 presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), had recently faulted the Federal Government on the distribution of the nation’s wealth, alleging that the South was being favoured against the North.

Responding to Kwankwaso’s assertion through a statement in Abuja yesterday, Nabena argued that the former governor’s real intention was to incite northerners against the current administration and the re-election of a southerner in 2027 to complete eight years of a southern presidency in the seat of power. He further noted that such incitement for “a political business or negotiation, like some politicians did in 2019 and 2023 can no longer work because the people now know the real intention.

“The Kano voters now know who is using them for political business and even the political gladiators now understand the tactics of political merchants,” he noted in the statement. The Bayelsa born politician, however, challenged Kwankwaso to travel across the South-South states by road and compare the road networks in the oil-rich region, where majority of the funds is coming from to that of the northern region.

“Is the North inferior or superior to the South after eight years of the north in the helm of affairs of Nigeria? Why is Senator Kwankwaso still complaining of under-development in the North when the region just completed its eight years?

“One will also wonder which of the northern money or resources was used to develop the South? Is it the gold, rice or groundnut pyramid?

“As politicians, we all understand what the former governor is up to. He is working hard to incite the North against the southern presidency but that has failed woefully because the South must complete the eight years in the presidency for fairness and equity,” he warned.

Nabena, however, declared that Kwankwaso cannot and does not have the capacity to intimidate the South ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“You cannot intimidate the South or anybody with Kano votes any longer because as a politician, we all know the game and what you are up to. The era of playing religious or ethnic cards is far becoming unfashionable,” Nabena warned.