Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna has described Ibrahim Babangida, Abdulsalami Abubakar and other northern elders as mere paperweights who lack actual political power to influence the outcome of the general elections taking place in a few weeks.

In a BBC Hausa interview on Friday, Mr El-Rufai bragged that he, a 63-year-old man, and other northern governors currently in office, were the true northern elders because they have the ability to influence elections in the region.

“I am 63 too, I have children and grandchildren, I am also an elder. So, who are the Northern elders? They should come out and contest elections. I was elected twice,” bragged Mr El-Rufai.

“Those claiming to be elders, ask them if they had ever contested for any election, even councilorship position. They are liars, it’s we the Northern Governors that are the Northern elders and leaders of the region,” he added.

Mr El-Rufai claimed that some northern political heavyweights were actively working to thwart Bola Tinubu’s bid for the presidency because they opposed the transfer of power to the South.

“All these conspiracies and hypocrisy is by people of the North. They want to portray us as ungrateful people, especially we the Northern governors advocating for power shift to the South and support for Asiwaju Bola Tinubu,” Mr El-Rufai said.

The Kaduna governor claimed that Mr Tinubu deserved support from the North because he had performed numerous “good deeds” for the region. He maintained all efforts to sabotage Mr Tinubu’s ambition would come to naught. 

“Let me tell you, with all these sabotage and conspiracies, this coming 2023 election, by the grace of God, we have already won. Because God knows our hearts, He knows our plans for Nigeria, He knows our plans for Northern Nigeria, so that we can show the people of Southern Nigeria that we are not ungrateful people and that we return good deed with good deed because Asiwaju has done good us,” the Kaduna governor stressed.