The National leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has been told that his decision to hold his 12th Colloquium in Kano State, as he marked his 69th birthday, won't guarantee him victory should he decide to run for President in 2023.
The statement was made by a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Comrade Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, in Kano.
Gwarzo who is also one of the leaders of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, said the move by Tinubu is clear to everyone that his choice of venue is “purely a political move, ” and not about enhancing national cohesion as claimed by the APC leader.
He said the APC leader had ample opportunities to show that he is a true national leader but failed to take advantage of those opportunities.
“It (colloquium in Kano) has nothing to do with national cohesion and unity. When people were asked to stand up to be counted, he wasn’t there. So many things happened recently with the most recent one being the barbaric violence that erupted in Shasa, Ibadan. Being a political leader of the South West, at least as far as APC is concerned, Tinubu should have asked for restraint and seen to be active in trying to quell the looming crisis,” he said.
“As someone who is aspiring to be president of this country, Tinubu should have risen to that occasion and talked positively. You don’t just come and hold your colloquium here (Kano) and think that will be a panacea for national unity.
“As far as I am concerned, it is purely a political move, more about 2023. The APC government has failed and Tinubu is not saying anything. So many lives are being lost on a daily basis, not only in the South West.”
Tinubu is among Southwest leaders accused of keeping silence in the wake of threats and attacks against Fulani in the South, especially in the Southwest region.
In an interview with Daily Sun, Professor Usman Yusuf, who voiced his concerns over the silence of Southern leaders, said unless they speak out and call their people to order, it means they are in full support of what is going on, a situation he said is very dangerous.
Whether or not the Fulani issue would impact Tinubu's chances of winning over the North, is a puzzle only time can solve.