The Northern caucus of the Tinubu presidential support group, Asiwaju Project Beyond 2023, has said that the Kano State governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, spoke for the whole and the entire northern parts of Nigeria when he said that the North was fully supporting the All Progressives Congress (APC) national leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in the latter’s bid to become Nigeria’s President come 2023.

Recall that the President of Arewa Youths Consultative Forum (AYCF), Yerima Shettima, had berated the Kano State governor for supporting Tinubu’s presidential ambition, saying Ganduje was not speaking for the North.

But in a press statement signed by the trio of Hon. Buhari Hussaini, North-East Mobilisation Director of the Project; Hon. Adamu Birniwa, North-West Mobilisation Director, and Hajiya Halima Mohammed, North-Central Mobilisation Director of the Project Beyond 2023, they chided the AYCF President for attacking Governor Ganduje, saying Shettima lacked the “locus standi” to speak for the North.

According to the group, “We the Mobilisation Directors of Asiwaju Project Beyond 2023 on behalf of the entire good people of Northern Nigeria are saying categorically that we are fully behind the presidential ambition of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to become Nigeria’s President after President Muhammadu Buhari come 2023.

“We are not ungrateful elements and we can never be, we are aware of Tinubu’s support for Buhari’s presidential elections, after a series of trials he won in 2015 with sole support of Almighty Allah through Bola Tinubu and it is time to pay him back by supporting his ambition too.”

They further said that Tinubu stands for true leadership, growth, progress development, justice, equity and egalitarianism.

“He is detribalised, since his days as governor and up till today, there are many northern people and other tribes in the Lagos State Executive Council courtesy his detribalised posture.

“Bola Tinubu has visited many Boko Haram-ravaged states in the North in person and he has donated handsomely for the rebuilding of shattered lives unlike any other person in Nigeria of today.

“Bola Tinubu has contributed tremendously to the democratic developments of Nigeria, he has built a lot of Nigerians to the level of political leaders and business moguls in Nigeria, he is a philanthropist of no class and he has supported so many lives beyond religion, ethnic and political colouration. What other characteristics are we looking for again in a worthy leader?

“Many leaders apart from Kano Governor like our fathers; Mallam Tanko Yakassai, Emir of Borgu, Emir of Kano, Emir of Katsina, Etsu Nupe and a whole lots of them have patriotically seen beyond now and throw their weight behind Bola Tinubu. So which North is Yerima speaking for? We are of the opinion that he is talking for himself not even for Arewa youths because he cannot be wiser than our political and traditional leaders mentioned above,” they said.

The group, therefore, called on all Nigerians especially in the North to shun all negative campaigns against Tinubu, saying he is physically fit, mentally alerted and intellectually sound to lead Nigeria to greater heights in socioeconomic and political growth and development spheres.