Attahiru Bafarawa, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former governor of Sokoto, says Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna, cannot force northerners to vote for Bola Tinubu, presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Speaking in an interview published by BBC Hausa, on Saturday, Bafarawa said some comments el-Rufai made in his recent interview are disrespectful to elders in the north.

El-Rufai had said he is 63 years old and has become an elder, adding that “there are no elders with dignity in the north”.

“We see his comment as a disrespectful one. What he was supposed to speak on was how the north and the country at large could improve,” Bafarawa said.

“Also, el-Rufai said he contested for election and was voted into office. If this is what he calls being an elderly person with dignity, before he even contested, we contested and people voted for us.

“Therefore, we that he doesn’t see as elders with dignity will show him that elders exist in the north. Even if there are (elders who have no dignity), he should preach to them rather than generalise.

“Also, he came out and was proudly saying that Tinubu will win the election whether people like it or not. Who told him that the whole of the north are supporting the APC?

“It’s just his opinion. Therefore, he has no right to boast with the north because everyone has their own candidates. The way he is campaigning for Tinubu is how we are campaigning for our candidate.

“We will surprise them; we will show them that this country belongs to nobody, likewise the north.”