PETER OBI: AREWA DISAGREES WITH KWANKWOSO

 

The prominent Northern Arewa Group has disagreed with Kwankwoso over making choice for them on who to vote for or not. The group added that Northern Nigeria is not a slave Colony, where some elites drag us by the neck to vote on the  basis of sectionalism  or  religion 

The Arewa Youths Progressive Alliance has further distanced themselves from a declaration that Northern voters will only support Northern presidential candidates, which has been widely attributed to the NNPP presidential nominee.

The prominent and powerful Arewa group's spokesperson, Alhaji Sambo Galadima, asserted that "the North is neither anti-progress nor xenophobic toward other Nigerians."

In a statement released in Kaduna, Galadima claimed that Mr. Kwankwanso's portrayal of the North on the Channels Tv programme "Politics Today" was disrespectful of the region and inaccurate of the genuine personalities and political views of the majority of Northern voters.

based on the assertion;

“According to Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwanso, the North is backward, and the typical Northern voter is callous and uncaring about the suffering of Nigerians, the country's high rate of insecurity, and its economic woes. Instead, they are worried about having "fellow Northerner and fellow Muslim" perpetuate themselves in power.

Nothing is more false than that. The average Northerner feels the same level of frustration with the country's current state of governance as the average Nigerian does, regardless of where they live in the country. 

They share the same hopes and dreams as all Nigerians that things will get better and that the most qualified and prepared people will take over control of government at all levels, including the presidency, for the benefit of Nigeria.

Further, he stated that simply because a Northerner or a Muslim is the President of the country, the North has never been protected from the myriad problems afflicting Nigeria or fared any better in terms of infrastructure or living conditions.

"By presenting ourselves as some insensitive set of people incapable of thinking for ourselves, the former governor of Kano State insults the North. That is untrue. 

He gives the sense that some elites own our votes and that they will choose how we will vote in each and every election. If it was the case in the past, it will no longer be the case because we are not slaves. 

We have the capacity to fantasise and cling tenaciously to our dreams. We are capable of actively engaging in political activities and working toward the establishment of a government that would serve the interests of the majority of Nigerians.

"Over 100,000 Northerners have been slaughtered by bandits and terrorists in the past seven years, and many of our daughters, wives, mothers, and sisters have either been raped, kidnapped, or forced into marriage. Although our fields remain vacant, our harvests haven't been any worse. 

However, the President is from the North. We supported this Northerner because we thought he had the greatest of intentions and the potential to make things better for everyone in Nigeria, not because he is a Northerner. However, we are dissatisfied.

He guaranteed that the North will vote in accordance with what they saw as being best for Nigeria now and in the future.

"We want to reassure our fellow Nigerians that Northern Nigeria is not a slave colony where some elites force us to cast our ballots based on our religious or sectional affiliations. 

We will vote for the people who have the best chance of reviving Nigeria and getting her back to work because, like any good citizen, we want what's best for our nation and a better future for our kids.

Remember that Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, a former minister of defence, recently stated on television that he would not accept the Labour Party's invitation to serve as Mr. Peter Obi's running mate because the North can only vote for other Northerners and that a candidate from the Southeast cannot win the presidency. A variety of Nigerians have criticised him for this statement.