Tinubu speaks on getting betrayed by the North

Festus Keyamo, the official spokesperson for Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) 2023 Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), has slammed the main opposition, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), for expecting the ruling party’s Northern leaders to betray his principal.

How the North will prove themselves: Keyamo, also the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, said the forthcoming 2023 elections will prove decisively that the North has tremendous passion for the unity and cohesion of Nigeria. He expressed his confidence that the APC governors are fully behind Tinubu.

What you should know: A few weeks ago, Kaduna state governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, was addressing a large gathering of Northern APC Leaders which had the APC presidential candidate and the entire leadership of the APC in attendance, as well as top Northern elder statesmen and prominent monarchs. Clearly worried that many believe the north will betray Tinubu, the governor assured Tinubu of the North’s resolve to support him to the very end.

What el-Rufai said: "The 19 Northern governors and the minister of FCT are the direct inheritors of Ahmadu Bello, Sar Dauna of Sokoto. We are conscious of that burden of responsibility and that is why when we debate and take positions, we have these illustrious sons of northern Nigeria as our reference points. And we took that position without regard to the interest of some people who insisted that after eight years of president Buhari’s tenure he should be succeeded by yet another northerner.

“So, Asiwaju, whatever you see here is real, we do not pretend."

He urged him to not entertain any fear of possible betrayal from the north, that they are a people whose word is their bond. The governor spoke eloquently and with conviction, leaving no one in doubt as to his sincerity.