2023: 90% of Northerner’s voters are not on social media – Atiku

"You’re talking about social media. In the north, 90 per cent of our people are not tuned to social media," Atiku said

Ilesanmi AdekanbiJuly 22, 2022

2 minutes read

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, claimed that about 90% of voters in the northern part of the country are not on social media.

Atiku spoke in an interview on Arise TV on Friday morning, monitored by Newsflash Nigeria.

Speaking on the chances of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 elections, the PDP presidential candidate said the LP will not divide the votes meant for the PDP as being suggested in some quarters.

Atiku questioned the performance of the LP in the just concluded governorship election in Osun, saying the party does not have governors, members of the national assembly and state assemblies.

“I really don’t expect the Labour Party to take as many votes from the PDP as people are suggesting,” he said.

“We could have seen it in the last election in Osun state. What is the performance of the Labour Party?

“This is a party that doesn’t have a governor, doesn’t have members of the national assembly, doesn’t have state assembly members, and politics in this country depends on the structures you have at the various levels — at the local government level, at the state level, and at the national level.”

Speaking further, the former vice-president said 90 per cent of people in the north are not on social media, insinuating that it will limit the chances of the LP winning the 2023 presidential election.

“So, it is very difficult to expect a miracle to happen, simply because Peter Obi is in the Labour Party. After all, they were saying through social media, they had more than one million votes in Osun state,” he said.

“But how many voters turned for the Labour Party? And then again, mark you, you’re talking about social media. In the north, 90 per cent of our people are not tuned to social media.”

Why I picked Okowa over Wike as my running mate – Atiku opens up

Meanwhile, Nigerians have reacted to the statement made by the PDP Presidential candidate that 90 per cent of people in the north are not on social media.

@YDBaba_Ahmedl, “Now you know why they have made the north so poor so as to use them during the election, Atiku Abubakar just indirectly said that 90% of Northerners are living in abject poverty… My Northern people, we must change this narrative.

@Angel Jesse “If 90% of northerners are not on social media and Atiku is bragging about it, that is Atiku indirectly calling the north underdeveloped, And also saying all the northern presidents have failed the north!!!”

@Steve Destiny “Atiku said 90% of northerners are not on social media. This means, even though the north has occupied various political positions, they did little for their people.”

@Chude Columbus wrote: “Northerners complain and fight stereotype on this app every day only for Atiku, in an attempt to denigrate Labour Party and Obidients boldly told the world on national TV that 90% of northerners don’t have access to the internet. This man wants people to remain poor for his political gains.”

@Mr Czar “’90% of Northerners don’t have internet” statement shows that Atiku & others like him view the disadvantage of the people as their advantage”.

@Reno Omokri, “What you heard, because of your bias against Northerners is ‘that 90% of Northerners are not educated. 90% if Northerners don’t have access to Internet’.

“You can be educated and have access to the Internet without being on social media!

“This is an ancient Ajami script (Hausa indigenous writing). Long before the Europeans came with colonialism, Hausas and Fulani were educated in Ajami. That 90% of them are not on social media does not mean that 90% of them are illiterate. Simply is not stupidity. Big difference!”