Leader of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) and former governor of Kano state, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has expressed displeasure at the way a few Northerners who declared themselves as the leaders of the North” were interfering in the selection of candidates, especially in the presidential election.

He said it was wrong for such people to claim they represent the region.

The former governor said that their action was causing division in the community and hindering democracy by electing leaders who were not qualified.

In an interview with BBC Hausa, Kwankwaso said that events that unfolded in the previous elections should make the leaders refrain from anything related to the selection of candidates and allow the people to choose who they really want to be president.

“This oppressive thing they are doing is causing discord in the community. Whatever you do, do it based on the truth. It should not be said that the elders, some of them are our parents and some of them are brothers, especially in this area, here in the north and west, they shouldn’t show favouritism in bringing out candidates,” he said.

He added that “many of them come to spread lies, gather people, and tell them that the North has agreed on its candidates, and all these people are not more than two or three, but you see a man going and saying lies, instead of going to Port Harcourt or going to Abuja to go and promote us, who are their children, but then they go and show favouritism.”

He recalled that during the 2019 election, in which seven candidates came from the Northwest, “Even if you are a former governor, you are there; if you are a former minister, you are there, whether you want to be tall or short, but in the end that’s how they went and dumped us and did what they wanted.”

The former governor also denied rumours making the rounds that an agreement had been reached between him and the former presidential candidates, Atiku Abubakar of PDP and Peter Obi of LP, that each of them will be president for a term.