…Says Tinubu’s projects will influence voters’ choices
…Warns North against gambling away development gains
KANO — An All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Dr Iliyasu Musa Kwankwaso, has declared that northern voters will not be swayed by ethnic and regional sentiments in the 2027 presidential election, insisting that governance, development and tangible achievements will determine their choices.
Kwankwaso, Director of Finance at the Hadejia Jama’are River Basin Development Authority, stated this on Monday during an interview with journalists, arguing that the political consciousness of voters in the North had evolved beyond identity-based mobilisation.
He maintained that no presidential candidate should expect automatic support from the region simply because of ethnic or geographical ties, adding that voters would critically assess the records and programmes of those seeking their mandate.
“The North has no candidate for 2027 because the two candidates from the North are not of the people. Ethno-political card will not favour them,” he said.
Although he did not identify the two northern candidates in the remark, Kwankwaso’s comments appeared directed at political efforts to mobilise voters through regional identity ahead of the next presidential election.
The APC chieftain argued that northern voters were becoming more concerned about development, infrastructure and the practical benefits of government policies than appeals based solely on ethnicity.
He attributed the changing political outlook to what he described as the impact of ongoing projects and development interventions by the administration of President Bola Tinubu across the region.
According to him, the Federal Government has continued inherited projects while initiating new ones, providing the North with development outcomes that voters could use to assess the administration.
“Tinubu means well for the North, going by the ongoing trillion-naira projects in the region. He sustained and drew a lifeline for the completion of inherited projects and kick-started new ones,” he said.
Kwankwaso claimed that the visibility of these projects was gradually changing public perceptions of governance, particularly among ordinary residents who, he said, were beginning to judge political leaders by their performance rather than their ethnic backgrounds.
“A common man in the North has come to realise real development under Tinubu. They have seen it, felt it and are convinced of Tinubu’s love for the region,” he added.
He urged northern voters to prioritise their economic and developmental interests in the 2027 election, warning against allowing ethnic considerations to undermine what he described as the gains recorded under the Tinubu administration.
“The North has so many dividends to count under Tinubu than to gamble a golden opportunity,” Kwankwaso said.
He maintained that the region’s political future should be determined by a careful assessment of candidates’ records and their capacity to sustain development rather than sentiments capable of dividing the electorate.
