2023: Why North-West govs may gang up against Tinubu – presidency source reveals fresh plot

Fresh facts have emerged regarding the support of North West governors for the actualisation of the presidential bid of Bola Tinubu, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC.

According to THE WHISTLER, a presidency source revealed that the governors may develop cold feet in their support for the former Lagos governor, for reneging on the agreement reached before the June presidential primary election that one of the governors would emerge as his running mate.

At the time, the governors of Kaduna, Jigawa, and Kebbi States, Nasir El-Rufai, Abubakar Badaru, and Atiku Bagudu respectively were the forerunners to be his running mate.

And the agreement led to the unalloyed support for Tinubu as against other aspirants who refused to commit to such an agreement, it was gathered.

The source said the North West governors felt Tinubu did not honour the agreement they had with him thus their indifference to his presidential bid.

He pointed out that some of the governors are prepared to support the presidential bid of Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

“North West Governors are not in support of Tinubu,” reportedly said.

He justified the governors’ stance on the fact that, apart from feeling cheated, the governors are not happy a minority from the Kanuri stock was chosen, a development he said has reignited the age-long rivalry between the Hausa-Fulani and the Kanuri since the Usman Dan Fodio jihad in the 19th century.

The Kanuri under the Kanem-Borno Empire led by Muhammad Al-Kanemi had successfully repelled the forceful conquest led by Usman Dan Fodio.

It was the only area Dan Fodio’s jihad failed, thus setting a long history of rivalry between the Kanuri and the Hausa-Fulani.

The source explained that the rivalry, even though unpronounced, is in their subconscious especially when a big prize like the vice president is in the contest.