NEF, Afenifere, Ohanaeze, Middle Belt, PANDEF leaders, elders adopt Atiku

 

THE Northern Elders Forum (NEF); pan-Yoruba sociopolitical group, Afenifere; Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF); the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Northern Leaders and Stakeholders Assembly and the Middle Belt Forum have jointly adopted the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar,  as their candidate for the February 16 election.

Meeting at the Sheraton Hotel, Abuja, on Sunday, they unanimously agreed on the necessity for a leadership change, following what they observed as the lack of ability by President Muhammadu Buhari to deliver.

Some of the leaders in Sunday’s meeting included Chief Edwin Clark (PANDEF) and Professor Ango Abdulahi (NEF), both co-chairmen; Chief Ayo Adebanjo (Afenifere), John Nwodo (Ohanaeze Ndigbo), Pogus Bitrus (Middle Belt Forum) and Tanko Yakasai (Northern Leaders and Stakeholders Assembly).

Others were Alhaji Buba Galadima, Hakeem Baba Ahmed, Professor ABC Nwosu, Yinka Odumakin, Godknows Igali, Tanko Abdulahi, Dr Femi Okurounmu, Junaid Mohammed, among others.

They resolved that they would work to ensure that Atiku and his running mate, Peter Obi, were elected in the February 16 presidential election.

The leaders regretted that Nigeria was at a crossroads, noting that Buhari had failed to justify the confidence reposed in him when he was elected in 2015.

Speaking for NEF, Professor Abdulahi recalled the trouble he went through in 2015 to sell Buhari’s candidature to Christians, particularly in the Middle Belt, as the North perceived injustice in the decision of former President Goodluck Jonathan to contest again.

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 was of northern extraction.

Abdulahi 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.”

“Based on our assessment and our observation in terms of events in this country, including our assessment in the previous summit that we have held here, it was very clear that the country requires a new leadership.

“And this is why the Northern Elders Forum, which I lead, is in complete agreement that a new leader should emerge and that new leader should be Atiku Abubakar,” Abdulahi said.

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 John Nwodo, revealed that four persons, Atiku, Dr Bukola Saraki, Donald Duke and Kingsley Moghalu, came tops in the interview of presidential candidates conducted by the leaders, adding, however, that the South-East sociocultural group decided to back Atiku.

Similarly, Chief Adebanjo of Afenifere said the group was supporting Atiku because it wanted to keep the flag of the nation’s unity flying.

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For the Middle Belt Forum, its president, Dr Bitrus Pogu, said “we 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 Northern Leaders and Stakeholders Assembly, said: “We have examined the two leading candidates in Nigeria today and we found that only Atiku Abubakar is privileged to possess those ingredients for leadership. Therefore, we endorse him on the basis of his competence, ability, integrity, capacity and vision.”

Spokesman of the Afenifere, Yinka Odumakin, later read the communique issued at the end of the meeting.

“Having maintained informed vigilance over all developments towards the forthcoming 2019 general election, 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.

“The forthcoming elections are vital to our desire to live together in a democratic nation that reflects our aspirations, of peaceful coexistence, mutual respect, practice of true federalism,” the communique read.

It added that it adopted the candidate of the PDP, as the consensus candidate for the office of president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, adding that he had demonstrated the understanding of the critical need of the country at this time and possesed the capacity to proffer solutions in that respect.

The communique also called on Nigerians, irrespective of religious or ethnic background, to stand in unison and vote for Atiku on February 16 and ensure they defend their votes.