By ‘Dotun Akintomide
For claiming his popularity remains unshaken in Kano and the rest of the north in the next election, President Muhammadu Buhari has come under serious criticisms, as Dr. Junaid Mohammed, a Second Republic politician took the President to the cleaners describing his statement as “irrational”.
In a statement Mohammed said the president has not done anything for the people of the North or Kano to warrant such statement.
“The idea that he has done nothing for the people of Kano or North and now claiming that he has overwhelming support of the people to me is irrational”, he stated.
Buhari at a state dinner organised in his honour during a two-day official visit to Kano had observed his popularity among the Kano populace who thronged the streets to receive him claiming Kano is already in his pocket should he contest in the next election.
He said he was full of thanks and gratitude to the government and people of Kano for the very warm and peaceful reception.
“I am overwhelmed with the massive reception I have received and, definitely, since this is partisan politics, I think it has sent a clear message to the opposition.
“Even going by the details of the election results in 2003, 2007, and 2011, it was very clear that nobody could even dare to rig my scores from the elections in Kano,” Buhari said.
But the Kano-born politician, Junaid maintained that he doesn’t believe that because President Buhari is from the North, he should be supported without benchmarking his achievements and delivery on electoral promises.
“I don’t know how people play their own politics, but for me before any politician can claim to have the total support of the people, he must have counted what he has done for the people, but the situation we have at the moment is not like that”, he said.
Mohammed further explained that in 2015, the people of the North blindly supported Buhari, but now that the people cannot see what he has done for them, it is difficult for anybody to say things would be the same in next election.
