A member of the House of Representatives, Abdulmumin Jibrin, has President Bola Tinubu still commands a strong following in the Northern region, dismissing claims that the President lacks political support in the region.
Speaking on Channels TV’s Politics Today on Wednesday, Jibrin argued that it would be a “dangerous calculation” to think the president has no support in the North, stressing that while some oppose him, many still stand firmly behind him.
“Tinubu is not an orphan in the north. He has people in the north. Maybe they’re not talking as much as they should, but he has people. So, as much as you have people who want him out, you also have people who want him in. And as events keep unfolding, you will see people who will come here opposing and people who will come here supporting him. So I don’t think he is an orphan in the north. It would be a dangerous calculation for somebody to think Tinubu has no support in the northern part of the country,” Jibrin said on Wednesday.
The federal lawmaker also dismissed suggestions that the North has been politically “short-changed,” pointing out that the region had held power for longer than the South.
He urged the North to “tell itself the truth” and stop undermining its own representatives.
Also addressing the future of New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) leader Rabiu Kwankwaso, Jibrin disclosed that talks about him joining the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) remain alive.
“As far as that [joining APC] is concerned, he has always maintained that his doors are open; our doors are open for discussions. Everything is a possibility,” he said.
He, however, noted that vested interests in Kano politics could be stalling the move.
