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Governors of Zinder and Maradi from Niger Republic were among the dignitaries that attended the mega rally of President Muhammadu Buhari in Kano.
This was revealed in a tweet by Salihu Tanko Yakasai, the media aide of Governor Abdulahi Ganduje of Kano.
“H.E @GovUmarGanduje with his deputy H.E Dr Nasiru Gawuna, His former Dep H.E Prof Hafiz Abubakar, Minister of Interior Abdurrahman Dambazau & that of Water Resources Kazaure, Governors of Zinder and Maradi from Niger Republic, & others getting ready to receive @MBuhari #PMBinKano,” reads his tweet with accompanying photos.
H.E @GovUmarGanduje with his deputy H.E Dr Nasiru Gawuna, His former Dep H.E Prof Hafiz Abubakar, Minister of Interior Abdurrahman Dambazau & that of Water Resources Kazaure, Governors of Zinder and Maradi from Niger Republic, & others getting ready to receive @MBuhari #PMBinKano pic.twitter.com/FwqRRJyZlD
— Peacock (@dawisu) January 31, 2019
Buhari who is seeking a second term in office, won 1,903,999 votes in Kano state in 2015.
He won the presidential election by 2.57 million votes as he recorded 15,424,921 votes (53.95 percent) of the 28,587,564 total valid votes cast while the then incumbent president Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party won 12,853,162 (44.96 percent).
Zinder, formerly also spelled Sinder, is the second largest city in Niger, with a population of 170,574; by 2005 its population was estimated to be over 200,000. It is situated 861 km east of the capital Niamey and 240 km north of the Nigerian city of Kano.
Maradi is the third largest city in Niger and the administrative centre of Maradi Region. It is seat of the Maradi Department and an Urban Commune.
Originally part of Katsina, a Hausa state, it became independent in the 19th century. From the early 19th century, Maradi was home to one of several Hausa traditional rump states, formed by rulers and nobility who fled the rise of the Sokoto Caliphate.
At the 2001 census, the official population of Maradi was 148,017. The predominant ethnic group in the city is Hausa, with a few urbanised Fulani and Tuaregs living there as well. Various ethnic groups from Nigeria, particularly Ibo and Yoruba, can also be found in skilled trades or in small shops.