Tinubu continues northern parley towards 2023, picks Ganduje to host colloquium

The leader of the ruling All Progressives Party (APC), Bola Tinubu, is scheduled to deliver a speech later today at a Colloquium to be hosted by the Governor Abdullahi Ganduje in Kano, the state capital.

Kano, the north’s largest commercial centre, is the second city to host the event outside Lagos, as the eleventh edition was held in Abuja 2019.

The theme of the event is: “Our common bond, our common wealth: The imperative of national cohesion for growth and prosperity.”

Amongst dignitaries expected to grace the event are the pioneer former APC national chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, immediate past chair of the party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, and a former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Malam Nuhu Ribadu.

And ahead of the event, Governor Ganduje led the former Lagos state governor to pay homage to the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, where the monarch described the visit as a remarkable feat.

Speaking during the visit, Asiwaju Tinubu said Kano and Lagos states have become role models to Nigerians in the nation’s peace building.

He said: “Nigeria is in critical stage and the only thing that would make it survive is unity and understandings. Therefore, Lagos and Kano which have come through this over time must show the ways to peace to Nigerians.

“Peace and development could be elusive if the nation continues the way it is going now. Therefore, fundamentally, unity and tranquility must be the hopes that could be rode on.

Read also: Tinubu bemoans weak Nigerian economy despite exiting recession

“One could see that today, Bola Tinubu is sitting side by side with Governor Ganduje and this is a clear testimony that people, regardless of their tribes and religions could come together and make a change.

“Use us as symbol and make a difference, that Lagos and Kano have been doing together all these while and Nigerians should see unity in us and make the country great,” he said.

Political observers had opined that these moves by Tinubu are aimed at gaining the support of the northern elites and electorates as the 2023 presidential elections draw near.

In December 2020, a congregation of Northern Ulamas (Islamic clerics) had pledged to support Tinubu’s ambition in 2023.

Leader of Ahlu Sunnah, Sheikh Abdulwahb Abdulla described Tinubu as a true Nigerian, whose generosity cuts across the country, and reassured the former governor that “northern Muslims are ready to give you the support”.

Similarly, leader of Tijaniyya sect in Kano, Sheikh Ibrahim Shehu Mai Hula, who reemphasised the loyalty and support the North enjoyed from the southwestern part of the country through Tinubu’s influence, declared that religious leaders were prepared to reciprocate similar gesture in 2023.

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