ADC ticket: Kwankwasiya, others berate Atiku over superiority claims

The camps of Alhaji Abubakar Atiku’s rivals for the presidential ticket of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) are not taking kindly to his recent attempt to rubbish their popularity, especially in the north.

Supporters of Mr. Peter Obi and those of Dr. Rabiu Kwankwaso declared yesterday that claims by the former vice president that he is the dominant northern vote-getter have no basis in contemporary Nigerian politics.

The Kwankwasiyya Movement,which is rooting for a joint ticket of Obi and Kwankwaso, dismissed Atiku’s support in the north as largely induced as against the “genuine grassroots followership’ of the former Kano State governor.

Former Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi personally responded to Atiku’s claims.

“If Atiku is saying the only qualification he has to become president is that he’s from North. Well and good. That means on the election day, the North should vote for him, and the South shouldn’t,” Amaechi said on Channels Television yesterday.

The former vice president had ,during an interview on Arise Television on Thursday, written off rival Northerners aspiring to be president in 2027. He said: “Can you tell me among the current leaders in the north who has more votes than I have? We are talking of figures like Tambuwal,Kwankwaso,El-Rufai and the emerging political figures. None of them has gotten more northern bloc votes as much as I have got.”

Of Kwankwaso, he said the former Kano governor “has only Kano votes” adding that even at that, Kwankwaso’s support base is now divided between him and Governor Abba Yusuf.

Atiku visited Kwankwaso in his Abuja residence yesterday in what observers said might be an attempt by the former VP to apologise for the impression his comment may have created.

His dismissal, in the same interview, of former President Goodluck Jonathan as inexperienced also drew flak from different quarters.