Prof Usman Yusuf, former Head of Nigeria’s National Health Insurance Scheme, NHIS, has stated that the 2027 Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, presidential candidate, Peter Obi, is not sellable in the North.

Yusuf said Obi will not penetrate the North and would be quizzed by Northerners.

The former NHIS boss told DCL English: “Peter Obi is not sellable in the North and this is the honest truth, they don’t want me saying that but I don’t know how to lie. The honest truth is that Peter Obi cannot penetrate the North.

“There are three main opposition parties; APC-Tinubu, ADC-Atiku and NDC-Peter Obi. Peter Obi is a very young man, and the North has issues with him. I have said it several times that we are going to interrogate his tenure as a governor.

“We are going to interrogate his association and refusal to disassociate himself with IPOB which has been declared a terrorist group.”

The North, Yusuf said, would interrogate Obi over his refusal to disassociate himself with the embattled leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, leader, Nnamdi Kanu.

He’s been saying that Nnamdi Kanu should not have been arrested that he’s clean. We will interrogate him, it is not for his surrogates to come and give us answers, he must come and talk to people in the North.

“If you arrest Turji, and I say he’s not a terrorist, do you think anyone will vote for me, even here?” He said.

Yusuf also accused Obi of Igbocentric during the 2023 presidential election.

He wondered how Muslims would be comfortable with Obi when he focused his campaign on churches and Christians during the last election.

”Peter Obi during his 2023 election, Peter Obi was partly Igbocentric and Christian, how do you expect us Muslims to be comfortable with you?

“He’s visited every church during his 2023 campaign, he’s got questions to answer and he needs us to be comfortable with him,” he added.