Bello Mohammed Matawalle, Minister of State for Defence, says the Katsina elders who said Tinubu should forget re-election in 2027 over his decision to relocate the FAAN and key departments in the CBN to Lagos, should bury the thought.
The region will not vote for him, except Tinubu reversed the decision the Elders said recently in their reaction to the issue.
Their assertion, the minister said did not represent the views of people of northern Nigeria.
Matawalle, the immediate past governor of Zamfara stated this in Abuja on Thursday on his way to Saudi Arabia to attend an official function.
President Tinubu has been receiving serious outbursts from key political figures in the region over his government’s decision to relocate FAAN and some departments in CBN.
Apart from the Elders, Ali Ndume, the Senate Chief Whip also kicked against the decision, saying President Tinubu is pursuing a ‘Lagos’ agenda, which he said is against the interest of the north.
Matawalle dismissed the suggestion, warning those peddling such not to cause hatred and disunity in the country.
and to set Northern Nigeria against their brothers and sisters from other parts of the country.
He said the expression of the elders is not the popular view in the northern part of the country, adding that President Tinubu needs the support of the region to tackle the problem of insecurity in the region.
He said, “Do Katsina Elders have the right to speak on behalf of Northern people? How can the elders who failed to support the President and their own, former President Muhammadu Buhari, to win Katsina State, make such a reckless statement on behalf of Northern people?
“Katsina Elders have forgotten how they betrayed Buhari and President Tinubu by their failure to ensure that President Tinubu wins the majority of votes in their state in the 2023 presidential election.
“Is the protest by Katsina Elders during the 2023 presidential election against former President Muhammadu Buhari, who asked them to support President Tinubu, not embarrassing enough?
“Did the Elders forget that Allah says, ‘Power belongs to HIM and can give it to whoever HE wishes at any time HE so desires’?”
