Youths in Rigachikun, Kaduna State, greeted the Director-General of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, with rejection chants during a recent visit, amid his appeal to Northerners to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in the interest of national unity.

A video of the encounter, which has gone viral, showed a crowd chanting “Bamayi!” — a Hausa expression of rejection — as the former Zamfara governor visited the community penultimate Friday.

The development came as an APC chieftain, Aminu Shehu Uba Sharada, warned that unresolved disagreements within the party’s Kano chapter could undermine its prospects in the 2027 elections, urging Tinubu and Yari to intervene before the divisions deepened.

Yari was reportedly visiting Sheikh Yusuf Sambo in Rigachikun when some youths began chanting against his presence.

Although some social media reports portrayed the encounter as an attack by thugs, available accounts described a hostile reception marked by verbal protests rather than a physical assault.

The youths’ specific grievances were not immediately clear from the footage or the accounts available at the time of the report.

Speaking separately in Kano at the weekend, Yari urged Northerners to respect the principle of rotational presidency and support Tinubu’s bid for a second term, saying such support was imperative for national integration and unity.

He cautioned against the notion that political power should remain in one region because of its numerical strength, arguing that the North had held power at the centre for about 47 of Nigeria’s 66 years of independence.

The former governor called for mutual understanding among the country’s regions, stressing that Nigeria’s diversity required cooperation and fairness rather than regional rivalry.

While acknowledging that the Tinubu administration was not perfect, Yari said some of its challenges had accumulated over time, adding that economic difficulties, insecurity and other problems were not peculiar to Nigeria.

“Problems have never been completely solved by any government, including the United States. They have their own inflation, high prices and insecurity,” he said.

He urged Nigerians, particularly political leaders, to prioritise peace and development and demonstrate fairness towards the country’s component regions.

However, Sharada warned that the APC’s internal disagreements in Kano required urgent attention if the party hoped to maximise its electoral strength in the state.

In a statement issued on Sunday, Sharada, an aide to Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, said the President must be given an accurate account of the situation rather than assurances that concealed divisions among party leaders and stakeholders.

“Let me be frank: anyone giving the impression that everything is fine within the Kano APC is not giving the President the full picture,” he said.

There are disagreements and visible concerns among party leaders and stakeholders, and if they are not addressed early, they could have wider consequences for the party.”

He called on Tinubu and Yari to reconcile the contending interests through broad consultations, warning against allowing existing differences to become entrenched as the 2027 elections approached.

“This is not the time to take sides or deepen existing divisions. It is time for consultation, reconciliation and genuine political engagement,” Sharada stated.

He said rebuilding confidence in the Kano APC was a responsibility shared by its national and state leadership, urging them to provide a platform for the various interests to resolve their differences.

“Every leader and stakeholder has a role to play in bringing the various interests together and rebuilding confidence within the party,” he said.

Sharada maintained that the APC retained a substantial support base in Kano, but argued that its electoral strength could only be fully harnessed through unity and a common political direction.

“The APC in Kano has a broad base of committed members and stakeholders. What is needed now is leadership that can bring everyone to the table, listen to different concerns and establish a common direction,” he said, urging the leadership to “act swiftly.” (The Sun)

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