A chieftain of the New Nigeria Peoples Party(NNPP), Buba Galadima says the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),Atiku Abubakar has been sending religious leaders to the party’s presidential candidate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso to step down for him.
Galadima said this in an interview with Trust TV.
The 2023 election has been widely regarded as one where the four major candidates; Asiwaju Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Labour Party’s Peter Obi, Atiku and Kwankwaso are expected to garner massive votes from their region of origin.
Atiku however sees the emergence of Kwankwaso, another northerner as having an adverse effect on his winning the election.
Speaking further, Galadima said Atiku had no chance of winning the election.
“We will defeat Atiku in Jada Local Government of Adamawa State. Atiku is not in this race. Yes on paper he is but he is not a candidate. How would win, through what?
“Atiku is using religious leaders to appeal to Kwankwaso to step down for him, Atiku used former heads of state and prominent people to appeal to Kwankwaso, Atiku used traditional rulers, spent billions of naira to persuade them to go and talk to Kwankwaso to step down for him.
“He used northern groups to try to manipulate and say that they interviewed the presidential candidates and found Atiku to be the best. They know we know, they could not achieve their vision.
“We are more northerners than them. Kwankwaso is from Kano and I am from Gashua. My village to the extreme part of the north is about 50 kilometers, so I am northerner than them and I am older.
“Recently he (Atiku) sent some three prominent Islamic scholars to Kwankwaso’s house to kneel down for him pleaded to step down, we sent them away. Yes, who are they? We respect that regalia but if they remove it, we will ask small boys to deal with them,” he said.
