The Northern Youth Leaders’ Forum
(NYLF) has revealed a shortlist of 11 northern politicians it endorsed as
potential presidential candidates for the 2019 general elections.
According to the leader of the
group, Comrade Elliot Afiyo, the 11 persons, namely: former vice president,
Alhaji Atiku Abubakar; Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo of Gombe State;
Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto; the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki; former
Jigawa State governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido; Governor Nasir El-rufai of Kaduna
State; former Kano State governor, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso; former Borno
State governor, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff; Governor Ibrahim Shettima of Borno
State; Governor Abdul’aziz Abubakar Yari of Zamfara State; Alhaji Tanimu
Turaki, and Senator Bala Muhammed; have emerged as respectable presidential
candidates from the North.
The group said it was disturbed
by the ‘scheming’ and ‘maneuvers’ in the country suggesting southern interest
in the 2019 presidency and reiterated that the north should retain the
presidency in 2019.
Comrade Afiyo said: “We want to reiterate and clearly warn that the North will not, and will never allow presidency to move to the South in 2019.
“As much as we can tolerate or pay any sacrifice for the unity of this country, we remain committed to a northern president in 2019.”
Afiyo said the group had
forwarded the names of the endorsed persons to its patrons and the leadership
of the 42 affiliated organisations to Northern Youth Leaders Forum (NYLF) for
screening and for the endorsement of only two candidates who will be considered
during its 15th Annual National Convention coming up in September, 2017, in
Kano.
“We want to send a message to all political parties that may field southern presidential candidates in 2019 election that such action will amount to committing a political suicide,” a statement by the group said.
It warned northern leaders to
desist from supporting candidates from the South and insisted that such action
would be counter-productive to their irreversible decision for a 2019 northern
presidency.
The group further called on all
northern youths to embrace dialogue and peace, and not to allow themselves to
be swayed by those who use religion and ethnicity to divide the north and gain
political advantage.
Afiyo said NYLF was strongly
instrumental to the emergence of “Olusegun Obasanjo, Musa Yar’adua and Goodluck
Jonathan as well as current President Muhammadu Buhari as presidents in 2003, 2007,
2011 and 2015, respectively, without regional bias.”
The group said its actions were
always guided by national interest far above any other interest.
On the quit notice to Igbo by
some sections of the Northern youth group, Afiyo said the youths were angry
members who felt they were used and abandoned by the All Progressives Congress
(APC) politicians.
“We consider the quit notice as
ill advised, ill-timed and uncalled for.
“We strongly believe the groups
of northern youths were motivated, encouraged and sponsored by some individuals
who felt cheated by both the federal government and some state governments
controlled by the APC.
“These individuals were used and dumped; no recognition or appreciation was extended to them.
“They are, therefore, bent on destabilizing the government,” he said.
The forum also inferred that the
coalition of northern youth’s reckless action might have been incited by “our
Igbo brothers insult and abuse of other nationalities, especially the northerners,
calling us cows and parasites.”
The statement further said: “We condemn in strongest terms, the approach of our brothers in issuing an ultimatum to Igbo. No nation or ethnic nationality can survive on its own without the support and help of another.
“Northerners need the Igbo, the Igbo need the Yoruba, and Yoruba need the Hausa. We are totally against the balkanisation of Nigeria. We know the price the North paid for the unity of this country. We are more determined, committed and willing to continue to pay the price to keep this country one; not because we are afraid of our brothers from the east, west and south, nor are we afraid of the future, but for the labour of our heroes past.”
The forum advised all groups to
operate within the ambits of the rule of law and strongly condemned the use of
violence and hate speech in the country.
It also called on the federal
government and the Inspector General of Police to, “withdraw, forthwith, the
directive to arrest the signatories of the Kaduna declaration.
“We believe our brothers in the South have said more than what our brothers said and were not arrested. There is, therefore, no justification for the arrest.”
The statement went on to appeal
to Acting President Yemi Osinbajo to call for a meeting of genuine leaders of
the northern youths and southern youths to find a way forward for the country.
The group challenged the
presidency to release the reports of the past constitutional conferences and
constitute a committee to look into the recommendations of the conferences with
a view to charting a way forward on restructuring the country.
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No north central? Those people dey suffer oh. Anyway they are planning for a president of the republic of northern Nigeria
ReplyDeleteWhere is saraki from? Please go and read your geography.
DeleteOnly one out of 11?
DeleteNaive and senseless,do you know how many times the northerners has been in power... If Nigerians will listen to me, it's either southern president and western vice president, let them take the 3rd position this time.... Or western president and eastern vice president...if it doesn't happen this way then we shall know that Nigerians will never be out of this situation until war or revolution come to take effect. Personal opinion please.
ReplyDelete