National Telescope national telescope newspaper
By Ekpenyong Emmanuel
The leader of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and former governor of Kano State, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, has criticized northern leaders for interfering in the selection of presidential candidates.
Kwankwaso expressed his displeasure in an interview with press men, stating that the actions of these leaders were causing division in the community and hindering democracy.
According to Kwankwaso, some northern leaders have declared themselves as the representatives of the North and are imposing their preferred candidates on the region. He argued that this was wrong and that the people should be allowed to choose their own leaders.
Kwankwaso recalled that during the 2019 presidential election, seven candidates from the North-West region contested for the presidency, but the northern leaders eventually dumped them and supported other candidates.
He stated that this experience should serve as a lesson for the leaders to refrain from interfering in the selection of candidates.
The former governor also denied rumors that he had reached an agreement with former presidential candidates Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) to serve as president for a specific number of years.
Kwankwaso described the rumors as lies and emphasized that he was not aware of any such agreement.
He’s criticism of northern leaders is seen as a call for transparency and democracy in the selection of presidential candidates. His denial of the rumored agreement with Atiku and Obi has also sparked interest in the political landscape, as the 2027 presidential election approaches.
The NNPP leader’s comments have been met with mixed reactions, with some praising his courage in speaking out against the interference of northern leaders, while others have criticized him for allegedly seeking to promote his own interests.
However, as the political landscape continues to evolve, Kwankwaso’s statement is likely to generate further debate and discussion on the role of northern leaders in the selection of presidential candidates and the need for transparency and democracy in the electoral process.
