A House of Representatives member on the platform of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Abdulmumin Jibrin, on Wednesday dismissed claims that President Bola Tinubu lacks political support in the northern region.

Representing Bebeji/Kiru Federal Constituency of Kano State, Jibrin argued that President Tinubu still commands a strong following.

Speaking on Channels Television’s political programme, Politics Today, he insisted that it would be a “Dangerous calculation” to think that Tinubu has no support in the North.

The lawmaker also dismissed suggestions that the North had been politically “Short-changed,” pointing out that the region had held power for longer than the South.

Also addressing the future of NNPP leader Rabiu Kwankwaso, Jibrin disclosed that talks about him joining the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) remain alive.

He, however, noted that vested interests in Kano politics could be stalling the move. The lawmaker also rejected suggestions that Tinubu should be held responsible for worsening insecurity in the region.

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“Tinubu is not an orphan in the north. He has people in the north. Maybe they’re not talking as much as they should, but he has people. So, as much as you have people who want him out, you also have people who want him in.

“And as events keep unfolding, you will see people who will come here opposing and people who will come here supporting him. So I don’t think he is an orphan in the north. It would be a dangerous calculation for somebody to think Tinubu has no support in the northern part of the country.

“As far as that [joining APC] is concerned, he has always maintained that his doors are open; our doors are open for discussions. Everything is a possibility.

“Even within the APC in Kano, you may have a situation where some vested interests won’t want us to come in, maybe because of their own interests, somebody wanting to be governor or whatever else.

“I actually believe that the South should finish the remaining four years.

“To blame Tinubu for the insecurity in the north and Nigeria’s security problem is false. Let’s be honest with ourselves,” he argued.

While acknowledging that there are groups in the North opposed to Tinubu’s administration, Jibrin said such divisions also exist in the South.

“Yes, truly, there are people in the north who want him out. You will also have people in the southern part of the country who want him out. But you will also have people who want him in.

“I cannot see anything that will stop him from winning the elections in 2027. There’s no two ways about it. I am a Tinubu person. I like him and he likes me. Irrespective of party affiliation, it has been a great relationship,” he said.