A former deputy national publicity secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Hon. Yekini Nabena, has asked Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso to stop using the voting strength of the state to intimidate President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Kwankwaso, Presidential Candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in the 2023 general election, had accused the Tinubu administration of neglecting the North and concentrating the country’s resources on developing the Southern region.

He spoke in Kano, during the stakeholders’ dialogue organised by the Kano State government to present the position of the state on 2025 constitution amendment proposals before by the National Assembly.

But reacting, Nabena, a member of the APC National Executive Committee (NEC), in a statement on Tuesday, said Kwankwaso’s outburst was an attempt to de-market Tinubu and stop his re-election in 2027.

He said, “You cannot intimidate the South or anybody with Kano votes any longer because as a politician, we all know the game and what you are up to. The era of playing religious or ethnic cards is far becoming unfashionable.

“The Kano voters now know who is using them for political business and even the political gladiators now understand the tactics of political merchants

“Why is Senator Kwankwaso still complaining of under-development in the North when the region just completed its 8 years? One will also wonder which of the northern money or resources was used to develop the South? Is it the Gold, Rice or Groundnut pyramid?

“As a politician, we all understand what the former governor is up to. He is working hard to incite the North against the Southern presidency, but that has failed woefully because the South must complete the 8 years in the presidency for fairness and equity,” he added.

The Bayelsa born APC chieftain challenged Kwankwaso to travel across the South-South by road and compare “the road networks in the oil-rich region, where the major resources are coming from, to that of the Northern region.”