Former Vice President, cum chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has downplayed the influence of top Northern politicians, including former governors Rabiu Kwankwaso, Aminu Tambuwal and Nasir El-Rufai.
PrimeTimes Nigeria reports that Atiku, during an interview on Arise Television’s ‘Prime Time’ programme, asserted that he is the most popular northern politician.
While assessing the influence of key northern politicians, Atiku insisted that no current or emerging leader in the region matches his political reach and support.
According to the ADC chieftain, despite the popularity of the key Northern politicians, none of them has a wider voter base across the North than he does.
He further claimed that Kwankwaso’s influence remains largely confined to Kano State, adding that even within the state, political support is now divided between him and Governor Abba Yusuf.
He said, “Can you tell who is a current leader in the North who has more votes than I have? Talking of leaders like Tambuwal, Kwankwaso, El-Rufai and also the emerging political leaders, none of them have got that northern vote as much as I’ve got.
“Kwankwaso’s popularity is restricted to only Kano State. Kano is even now split between him and Governor Abba Yusuf.”