The presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Rabiu Kwankwaso, has said his party has the North “locked” going into the February 25 presidential election.

Kwankwaso stated this on Friday during a live appearance on The 2023 Verdict, on a live television programme.

Asked if he thinks he can win the election, he said, “Of course! As far we are concerned in NNPP, we have locked northern Nigeria.

“In fact, even today, when I had a call from Channels [Television], I was there – the youth wing of CAN in northern Nigeria, all of them came together and endorsed Rabiu Kwankwaso, which was very good for them, for northern Nigeria, and by extension Nigeria itself.

“And so many other groups have done it. We don’t want to go to the market and start shouting. But I can tell you, many people would be shocked.”

The former Kano governor also shared his thoughts on the series of independent pre-election polls projecting Labour Party’s Peter Obi as the winner.

According to the polls, Kwankwaso and his counterparts of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu; and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, are predicted to emerge as runners-up.

“The only opportunity they had was for us to come together. Now, we know what is happening. The first one they released from his side – from Peter Obi’s side – they were giving me six percent in the North-West,” he said.

“Even a madman knows that I’m over and above six percent or even 60 percent. They have done it; we have seen the in-house figures of PDP and APC, and they dare not bring it out.

“I always enjoy people who would want to underrate me. They have done that in 1999. Nobody was giving me a chance in Kano. Within a few months, the party came, I went in to the primary in PDP, I cleared it 100 percent, so also the general election.” (Channels TV: Text, excluding headline)

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