Farouk Aliyu, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has expressed confidence that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will remain the party’s candidate in the next general elections, insisting that the APC still enjoys strong support across the country, particularly in the North.
Speaking in an interview with ARISE News on Friday, Aliyu dismissed concerns over possible threats from opposition figures, stressing that none of them pose a challenge to Tinubu’s candidacy.
“The majority people of the north will still vote for APC. And Tinubu will be our candidate. And whether Jonathan is coming in, it’s going to be a threat to us? We respect Jonathan. We respect him. We respect Atiku. We respect all these Nigerian leaders. But I tell you, I have not seen anyone on the horizon that can compete with Tinubu as presently constituted,” he said.
Aliyu also underscored that governance is ultimately determined by Nigerians themselves, not by political elites.
“Sadly, it’s all of us. We, when I said we, I mean we, including you, I mean all of us, all Nigerians… It’s got nothing to do with where you come from. But unfortunately, the people of this country still need to decide whom do we want to govern us, from whichever party, from whichever zone,” he explained.
On claims of dissatisfaction in the North, Aliyu maintained that while not everyone in the region may support Tinubu, the APC still holds the majority.
“No matter how you look at it, it’s still we the people… So whether the north are angry, whether the north saying they will not vote for Tinubu is subjective… Simple. So of course, not everybody in the north is going to vote for Tinubu. But the majority people of the north will still vote for APC. And Tinubu will be our candidate,” he said.
The APC stalwart further described the party as the “darling of the people” and expressed hope that Nigerians will renew their mandate.
“As of today, we are in power. We will continue to try to do our best to bring support to the Nigerian people… But if in the wisdom of Nigerians they don’t want us to continue, just like we voted out PDP, it’s okay for them to vote us out,” Aliyu concluded.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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