By Abdulmalik Suleiman
The main opposition, People’s Democratic Party PDP Saturday night ended its special National Convention in Abuja throwing up Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as the party’s presidential candidate.
Kudos must be given to the PDP for organizing a peaceful convention devoid of any mishap as the event from what we have seen was largely peaceful and orderly.
Since the end of the event however media both conventional and social have been washed with tales of the Wazirin Adamawa being described in superlative terms as a strong man in the North.
Some of the commentaries that I have read have credited him with the ability and propensity to deliver large chunk of Northern votes for the PDP at the general elections.
Many commentators has stated that the only left for him to do now is to get a popular candidate in the South and Aso Rock is secured.
The assumptions of these uninformed commentators is that Atiku holds the key to large chunk of votes in the North, something similar to the pre-2015 Buhari era.
This assumption is rather untrue because that form of narrative is being churn out by those who pretend to know a lot about voting pattern in the North.
The fact is there for all to see and appreciate. Atiku is no match for Engr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso in the North for several reasons.
One of such reason is that the two of them have different approaches and ideological bent to politics.
While Atiku plays elitist brand of politics, Kwankwaso on the other hand is very much at home with the downtrodden.
The former Minister is always seen advocating and canvassing for issues that affect the interests of the average Notherner in and out of office.
The same cannot be said of Atiku who is usually very aloof whenever a threat exists that threatens the interest of the Northerners.
Apart from always visiting Northerners outside of their region to ascertain the welfare and well being, he has consistently made material resources available to them in their time of needs.
Atiku doesn’t often do this prompting one to ask any keen observer to state where the interest of Nothern voters will lie at the time of voting?
It is only natural that the masses of the North will always throw their lot with the person who has always shown solidarity with their cause.
Any day any time, faced with picking between Atiku and Kwankwaso, the teeming masses will line up behind Madugu.
As I write this piece, Engr. Kwankwaso is currently in Lagos to proffer solutions to the plan closure of Alaba Ram international market by Lagos State government dominated by the Arewas. This he has been doing in the last two (2) decades.
So, it will amount to wishful thinking to suggest that Atiku Abubakar will defeat Kwakwanso in the North. That will never happen because Atiku can never be a threat to Madugu in the North.