AS the nation drives towards the presidential election, significant political developments are occurring at a blinding pace, the latest being the endorsement, in Abuja, last week, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, by six different geopolitical groups, including the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Afenifere, Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Northern Leaders and Stakeholders Assembly and the Middle Belt Forum.
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The action has drawn the ire of the presidency, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Nigerians who are sympathetic to the re-election aspiration of President Muhammadu Buhari. But the groups gave their reasons for lining up behind Atiku to be the next president of Nigeria and believe it is within their right to do so. Former Buhari’s associate, Hakeem Baba Ahmed, laid the groundwork for the groups’ adoption of Atiku at the summit of Nigerian Elders and Leaders. He said he could not imagine a forum with greater relevance and potential impact than the meetring to engage Nigerians in on-going, intense and monumental decisions which they are being called upon to make on February 16 and March 2.
“It would have been strange indeed, if the leadership of Afenifere, Northern Elders Forum, Ohaneze-Ndigbo, PANDEF and the Middle Belt Forum do not make their voices heard at this time that the nation is at the threshold of major decisions that will make the difference between a nation that will continue the dangerous drift in the face of very serious challenges and one that should commence a major shift from living with its worsening problems to finding solutions for them,” he said.
At the meeting were the co-chairmen: Chief Edwin Clark (PANDEF); Professor Ango Abdulahi (NEF); Chief Ayo Adebanjo (Afenifere); Dr John Nwodo (Ohanaeze Ndigbo); Dr Bitrus Pogus (Middle Belt Forum); Alhaji Tanko Yakasai (Northern Leaders and Stakeholders Assembly). Other prominent faces at that meeting were Buba Galadima, Professor ABC Nwosu, Yinka Odumakin, Godknows Igali, Tanko Abdulahi, Dr Femi Okorunmu and Dr Junaid Mohammed, among others. They resolved that they would work assiduously to ensure that Atiku and his running mate, Dr Peter Obi, are elected in election. They observed that the present administration had left Nigeria at a crossroad as it had failed to justify the confidence reposed in Buhari when he was elected in 2015.
Speaking for NEF, former Vice Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Professor Abdulahi, recalled the trouble he went through in 2015 to sell Buhari’s candidature to Christians, particularly in the Middle Belt. He said NEF had told Buhari, at the time, that the forum’s continued support for him would be based on performance and not because he is of northern extraction. Ango said based on that, the forum made a submission to Buhari on assumption of office but he never acted on it because “they said they forget that we made a submission.
“We also interviewed all candidates that are vying for this position, just like you did. I suggested that you should do your own separately and we would do our own separately so that at the end of each exercise, we are going to compare notes and how our selection or our assessment or our interpretation of the candidates will look like.
Surprisingly, when we did the comparison, we saw virtually the same thought that emerged from their own was similar to the one that emerged from our own. And from there, we said allow them to go and slug it out in the primaries,” he said, adding that the forum was later informed that Atiku was the choice of the PDP convention.
The leader of PANDEF, Chief Clark said: “Having watched the various campaigns, I am satisfied with our choice. I join the Ohanaeze, the Afenifere and the rest of the country to say that Nigeria should have a physically fit president; an intelligent president; an experienced president and a president with personality. I join others and on behalf of the people of the Niger Delta, Atiku is our presidential candidate.”
President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Dr Nwodo, on his part, revealed that four persons, including Atiku; Senate President Bukola Saraki; former Cross River State governor, Donald Duke and Kingsley Moghalu, as presidential aspirants, came tops in the interview conducted by the leaders while seeking who to adopt, adding however that the South-East social-cultural group decided on Atiku. Similarly, Chief Adebanjo of the Afenifere said the group was supporting Atiku because it wanted to keep the flag of the nation’s unity flying.
The Middle Belt Forum’s position was given by its president, Dr Bitrus Pogu, who explained: “We are all agreed the candidate of the PDP is our collective candidate for this election because we are convinced he possesses the capacity to lead us out of the present quagmire, he can bring unity and our economy will begin to grow again.”
Alhaji Yakassai, speaking for the Northern Leaders and Stakeholders Assembly, stated: “As many people know, I was not one of those who endorsed the candidature of President Muhammadu Buhari. But we said our reason. Now, we have been vindicated. My experience from 1952 till date in politics told me that there are five important ingredients for leadership. Where they are present, then the leadership is competent. Where they are not, the leadership is incompetent. Those five ingredients are integrity, capacity, competence, vision and ability to plan. We have examined the two leading candidates in Nigeria today and we found that only Atiku Abubakar is privileged to posses those five ingredients for leadership. Therefore, we endorse him on the basis of his competence, ability, integrity, capacity and vision.”
The spokesman of Afenifere, Yinka Odumakin, later read the communique issued at the end of the meeting. It read in part: “Recognising that the Forum of Nigerian Elders and Leaders represents the most genuine commitment of leading socio-cultural groups in Nigeria to work together to find solutions to national challenges, support the cause for good governance and contribute towards improving national unity, security and economic development of all Nigerians; having maintained informed vigilance over all developments towards the forthcoming 2019 general elections leaders of the forum had outlined their views on the qualities of leaders that should aspire and seek our support and votes.
“These include a demonstrated commitment to the democratic process; a transparent willingness to address the structural foundations of our nation in a manner that should ensure greater political unity and economic development for all Nigerians; and the courage and competence to secure the nation from multiple and varied threats among others.
“Having noted the continued drift of the country in the direction of insecurity, deep divisions, tyranny as shown in the recent unilateral sacking of the Chief Justice of the country against all globally-known democratic ethos, etc; having closely followed the competition for mandates within the various political parties as well the campaigns for the votes of Nigerians so far, including four weeks of close interactions and interviews with nearly all the aspirants for the position of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the various parties. We make the following observations:
“The forthcoming elections are vital to our desire to live together in a democratic nation that reflects our aspirations, of peaceful co-existence, mutual respect, practice of true federalism; there is solid national and international consensus that the 2019 elections must be credible and improve on the quality of the 2015 elections; there is assurance from lNEC of its willingness and ability to conduct free and fair elections, but it must be watched very closely and supported to set new, higher standards in election management and that undue pressure from any quarters does not truncate its efforts; the political and security environments are central to the conduct of credible and peaceful elections.
“So far, the pronouncements of major contenders regarding the use of violence and willingness to accept outcomes of credible elections are being severely tested in practice. The disposition of state agents that have responsibility for securing our votes has also been a major source of concern;
“Civil society in Nigeria and the international community have made commendable contributions towards improving the integrity and security of the ballot. It is vital that they continue to play the roles of informed vigilantes and partners in our nation’s search for deeper roots for our democratic traditions; the media needs to do more to meet the expectations of Nigerians in terms of objectivity and capacities to set agendas and exercise effective oversight over all matters related to the forthcoming elections. The Nigerian media has a rich history of rising to the occasion when the country faces the kind of situation we are in today.
“These last few days before the first set of elections will test the Federal Government’s undertaking and assurances to protect Nigerians as they prepare to participate in the elections, as well as create a level playing field for all parties and candidates. The Federal Government must therefore ensure that no one, no matter their roles or status should be allowed to behave as if there are no consequences for subverting the electoral process or threatening the rights of all Nigerians to participate in free and fair elections.
“Conscious of its mandate and after exhaustive deliberation, the forum reminds all Nigerians that the forthcoming elections are about the type of nation we need as adults and those for whom we have responsibilities. Not since 1999 have we been challenged with the power to shape our future as these elections do; reminds the nation of its earlier position that the best candidates who should lead us are those who have the following qualities-a clear understanding of the nation’s security challenges and a strong will and commitment to tackle them decisively and comprehensively; capable, intelligent, physically fit and mentally-alert persons that understand the issues and will once more restore Nigerian international standing and respect; a strong will to improve the quality of governance, including the rebuilding of key and strategic national institutions; to ensure inclusiveness is reflected in all political and governance matters; to fight corruption as a national scourge with transparent commitment; and to pursue policies that address the needs of a nation with a huge population of young people who need quality education and opportunities to participate as productive adults in a thriving economy;
“The forum, having concluded a thorough evaluation of all candidates aspiring to lead our nation thorough its current challenges and engineer genuine national rebirth, has decided to note: that several of the younger candidates who presented themselves for the presidential election, demonstrated great capacity and promise to lead this country creditably and ensure that it engenders proper social and economic development to its people.”
The forum therefore called on all Nigerians, irrespective of religious or ethnic background, to stand in unison and vote for Atiku Abubakar on aturday and ensure that they defend their votes.
Not surprisingly, PDP celebrated the adoption. Its national spokesman, Kola Ologbodiyan, said the endorsement of its candidate was in tune with the mood of the nation. He added: “The vast majority of Nigerians have come to the end of the Buhari Presidency and they have seen that another four years under President Buhari can only sink us further into the abyss.
“Nigerians have suffered enough in the last three and half years. So, they want a new thinking, new initiative which Atiku Abubakar has promised Nigerians. And that is why it is not a surprise but a very welcome development that the geopolitical groups have come out to endorse former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. It validates the position of the average Nigerian and even the world today.”
But not so with the presidency which saw the adoption as a gang up against President Buhari. Presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, posited in his reaction that PDP is hiding in the bunker of ethnicity to avoid their inevitable defeat but that won’t change anything.
He said in a statement denouncing the endorsement: “The current scenario resembles efforts to stop Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 by the same characters. It is an effort to repeat the old experiment that failed in 2015. They failed to stop him from coming to power in 2015 and they will fail yet again on February 16. If all these groups are ganging up against one person, that is President Buhari, it tells you who the formidable candidate in the election is. This gang up they forged, one more time, will change nothing. It is for the people to decide.”
Atiku said the pan-Nigerian endorsement could not have come at a better time. “I am moved to tears that in the midst of deep divisions and deliberate use of instrumentalities of state to set our people against themselves in the last three and a half years, responsible and respected leaders across Nigeria have agreed to come together for the purpose of endorsing my candidature for the presidential elections,” he said.
He said the endorsement was “a loud statement that there is hope for our country as we go to the polls in a few days. This has buoyed me to lead a pan-Nigerian team that will give practical interpretation to what has been done by the time I take leadership of our country, by the grace of Allah, on May 29, 2019. I have been chosen to unite our people and exactly that I will do,” he added.
and then