By Babs Oyetoro
The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has dissociated itself from the endorsement of the former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, and the Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Muhammed as the preferred Peoples Democratic Party candidates (PDP) for the 2023 presidential election.
The NEF, in a statement by its Director of Publicity and Advocacy, Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, said the forum was not involved in the process as a body.
It further insisted it was not affiliated to any political party or aspirant as it were, adding that the idea to engineer a consensus among the aspirants was that of the aspirants themselves.
The statement read in part, “It is important to make clear that the entire process did not involve the Northern Elders Forum as a group and is not a product of the group. It has become necessary to address the impression created in part by mischief, and in part by genuine confusion over the role of the Convener of Northern Elders Forum, in the efforts to create consensus among four aspirants for the Presidential ticket of the PDP.
“Northern Elders Forum is not affiliated to any political party or aspirant, and is strongly committed to the creation of a level playing field, which will allow the emergence of the best leaders in the 2023 elections,” it said.
The forum said it has also remained consistent in its conviction that all parts of the country should play their parts freely, unhindered by restrictions, which offend principles of inclusion and fairness, adding that, the North has excellent candidates whose fate should be left to party delegates and voters to decide.
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It further maintained that it remained united behind the protection and projection of interests of the North and Nigeria and would play its role as it has always done whenever the circumstances demanded.
Speaking with journalists, a presidential aspirant of the party and Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, queried the report saying, “Tell us who are the elders that sat down to come up with that decision? Who are the people that advised to reach that conclusion? Nobody has this information.
“I consulted the party leadership across the country especially, the Northern PDP leaders but no one is aware of what’s going on, indicating that something fishy is going on. If not, we are the ones that took ourselves to them to help the process, and later withdrew, why should anyone insist the process of consensus must continue? Tambuwal asked.
•Afenifere, others drum support for Igbo presidency
Meanwhile, as the agitation for South-East Presidency assumed a front burner yesterday with socio-political organisations insisting that it was the turn of the Igbo to produce the next president in 2023, Afenifere leader, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, lambasted former President Goodluck Jonathan, for mulling the idea of contesting the presidency during next year’s election even as other social-political groups are drumming support for the Igbo nation.
Among the organisation which supported the Igbo presidency were Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, Pan-Niger Delta Forum, and Middle Belt Forum. They reiterated their calls for the presidency to be micro zoned to the South-East for equity, justice, and fairness in 2023.
They were unanimous that if the political class and the retired military generals could concede the presidency to the South-West in 1999, the same approach could be adopted and micro-zone it to the South-East.
The MBF, Afenifere, PANDEF, and other groups bared their minds during the Greater Nigeria Conference which was held in Abuja, organized by leaders and friends of the Southeast geopolitical zone, with the theme, “Together we can.”
Among Igbo leaders at the event were a former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi; former governor of Imo State, Achike Udenwa; Senator representing Imo West, Rochas Okorocha; former governor of Anambra State, Okwesileze Nwodo; ace Journalist, Chris Anyanwu; and former chairman of the All-Progressives Grand Alliance, Senator Victor Umeh.
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Elder statesman, nationalist, and leader of Afenifere, Adebanjo said there was a need for aspirants from the South, especially from the South-East to be united.
According to him, the decision of presidential aspirants including the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, and the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike who are from the South-South to contest would only give the North undue advantage over the South.
Adebanjo stated that the truth was that the North did not want to leave power in 2023.
He said, “I only like to point to the fact that they are just deceiving you. All that you are hearing that they (the North) are supporting the South-West is an element of deceit to deprive you to be able to rule. They don’t like anybody.
The nonagenarian wondered why political leaders from the North were now propounding a lot of theories when they realized it was the turn of the South-East to produce the President in 2023.
“Now that it is the turn of the South-East, they are propounding a new theory, it must be based on merit and all that. If it is the question of merit, who in the North? All of them…if it has been based on merit till today, till kingdom comes, the East alone will produce the President”, he said.
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The Afenifere leader said that all the talks that the aspirants from the South must go and lobby, campaign, and sell themselves were all rigmarole, saying the North knows the truth.
“Although I don’t like all the people that came out from the East. But for the fact that they are saying you have no people, I’m happy you demonstrate that (you have people). But go and unite. A house divided against itself will not stand,” Adebanjo advised.
