October 16, (THEWILL) – On Saturday, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar said Northerners need someone like him, who is from the North, to be the next president of Nigeria.
The former Vice President said Northerners need to vote for him rather than a Yoruba or Igbo candidate because he’s a Pan-Nigerian with a northern extraction that has built bridges across the country.
Atiku made the remarks while responding to a question posed to him by the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) spokesman Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, during an Interactive Session With Arewa Joint Committee, held on Saturday, in Kaduna State.
The session which was beamed live on Arise TV as monitored by THEWILL provided the opportunity for leaders of the North to ask critical questions on Atiku’s policy for the 2023 presidential election.
Responding to the question asked by Baba-Ahmed, the former Vice President, “What the average Northerner needs is somebody who’s from the north and also understands that part of the country and has been able to build bridges across the country.
“This is what the Northerner needs, it doesn’t need a Yoruba or Igbo candidate, I stand before you as a Pan-Nigerian of northern origin.”
On his knowledge of the country, Atiku said he knows every part of the country and if elected as Nigerian president in 2023, he would form a government of national unity.
“I have traversed the whole of this country, I know the whole of the country”, he said.
He also answered questions about ecology, the economy, women’s participation in politics, and others.
Several groups organised the interactive session, including the Arewa Consultative Forum, Arewa House, Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation, Northern Elders Forum, and Arewa Research and Development Project.
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