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‘We Regret Voting Jonathan Out Of Office,’ Northern Elders Lament

Published

3 years ago

September 22, 2021

Editor

The Northern Elders Forum has said that it regretted that it got rid of then President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 elections to vote in the incumbent, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.).

The group expressed disappointment that Buhari has let down millions of Nigerians including members of the All Progressives Congress who trusted in his leadership prior to the poll six years ago.

NEF, therefore, said that the next President of Nigeria should be one who would act in the “opposite direction” of Buhari, who hails from Katsina, North-West Nigeria.

NEF Director of Publicity and Advocacy, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, spoke on Tuesday when he featured on Arise TV’s ‘The Morning Show’ breakfast programme monitored by The PUNCH.

He said, “Is there any Nigerian who is not disappointed in President Buhari including diehard APC people? Is there anybody who would not tell you he wished President Buhari had done much better?

“We raised huge expectations, we told people, ‘Get rid of Jonathan, put Buhari there, he would fix corruption, he would fix insecurity, he would fix the economy’ (but) look at where we are now.

“How can anybody say they are happy with the record of President Buhari, even the people very close to him would tell you that they wished he could have done much better and he could have done much better and he hasn’t.”

The group’s spokesman said Nigeria needs a President who would act in the “opposite direction” of Buhari in terms of economic policies, security, amongst others.

“So, what we need to do now is to get ready to elect another President who would go in the opposite direction, a President who has a vision and a clear idea of what governance involves rather than just being a President. So, I am disappointed and that is why today, I am actively involved in trying to see that a new leader emerges in getting Nigerians a new lease of life,” Baba-Ahmed noted.

With the 2023 elections fast approaching and the clamour for power shift to the South, Jonathan, who has the legal right to one more term as Nigeria’s President as the constitution permits all eligible Nigerians to be in office for two terms of eight years, has been receiving entreaties from the APC.

Many APC chieftains have visited him in recent time, raising the stakes in permutations for the 2023 general elections.

Of late, with the wave of defections swinging in the direction of the ruling party, the National Secretary, APC Caretaker, and Extra-ordinary Convention Planning Committee, John Akpanudoedehe, said Jonathan would be given an opportunity to contest the 2023 presidency on APC platform if he chose to join the ruling party.

However, the former President has not declared any intention to contest in the forthcoming election.

Speaking further, Baba-Ahmed said the north had lived under Southern Presidents — Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan — since Nigeria’s return to democratic rule in 1999.

He, however, said Southern Governors should not make the 2023 Presidency a matter of disagreement amongst Nigerians, noting that they should negotiate rather than demand the number one seat. The 17 Southern Governors at their meetings in Lagos and Enugu lately had insisted that power must return to the South in 2023.

“We have lived under Southern Presidents because we recognise that Nigeria is made up of sections, ethnic groups and interests. We recognise that, we are northerners, pluralism is in our DNA, we accept that, we live with it.

“Don’t make the issue of Presidency a matter over which Nigerians would fight and threaten the country and the democratic process, that is very dangerous for this country,” the NEF spokesman stated.

Baba-Ahmed also insisted that the north has the numerical strength in any election, adding that those doubting the north’s voting power should check the last elections, claiming that millions of southerners voted for northern candidates during the elections.

He, however, said though the north has the numerical strength, neither the north nor the south can solely produce a President without the help of other parts of the country.

‘APC, PDP not answer for 2023’
Also, the NEF spokesman said that Nigeria needs a President who realises the need to rebuild the country, secure Nigerians and boost the economy from the downward slope.

“The nation needs a leader that would do the things that President (Muhammadu) Buhari hasn’t done, create inclusiveness, address resentment and frustration in other parts of the country and in the north and speak and act for everybody,” he added.

The elder statesman, however, regretted that both the ruling APC and the leading opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, have no answers to what Nigerians want in a candidate in 2023.

He noted that the “smaller parties” should be given the opportunity to field candidates with the character and capacity to lead Nigeria from all her current woes.

(PUNCH)

News

“They Chase Me I Dey Chase Dream,” Portable Hints On June US Tour

Published

2 mins ago

May 15, 2024

Editor

Controversial music artiste, Habeeb Okikiola also known as Portable, has revealed his proposed music tour tagged “Portable USA 2024.”

He disclosed this in an Instagram story on Wednesday.

The tour sponsored by Supermega Entertainment runs from June 7 to 26 across various cities in the US.

However, the post added that more details will be announced soon.

READ ALSO: JUST IN: Police Release Portable After Meeting Bail Condition
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The Lagos State Police Command, on Tuesday, confirmed Portable’s arrest for allegedly refusing to pay the debts he incurred when he purchased a G-Wagon from a car dealer in the state.

Portable has, however, regained his freedom after meeting the bail conditions set for his release following his arrest.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the development to our correspondent on Wednesday evening.

Asked if Portable had been released after meeting his bail conditions, the PPRO said, “He’s been granted bail.”

In another post, he made two other posts which obviously could be dubbed as a response to the arrest saga which started on Tuesday.

He posted, “If God is still God I’m not losing.

“They chase me I dey chase dream.”

Meanwhile, an Abuja-based legal practitioner, Pelumi Olajengbesi, faulted the police on Portable’s arrest and detention on grounds related to debt.

News

JUST IN: Police Release Portable After Meeting Bail Condition

Published

1 hour ago

May 15, 2024

Editor

The Lagos state police command has released Musician Habeeb Okikiola, a.k.a Portable after spending a night in the forces cell.

The Lagos state public relations officer, SP Benajmin Hundeyin confirmed the release to Vanguard this evening, stating that he was released this afternoon.

When asked if Portable has sorted out the issues, the spokesman added “I have no idea about it but what I can say is that he has been granted bail”

Recall that the ‘Zazzu’ crooner was nabbed on Tuesday following his alleged refusal to pay the debt he incurred when he purchased Mercedes Benz GLE 350 from Ogunsanwo Temitope (Temmy Autos), a car dealer in the state.

It was gathered that Portable had paid only N13 million after purchasing the vehicle, which was worth N27 million. He was said to have refused to pay the N14 million balance.

News

JUST IN: Obidient Movement Infiltrated By Saboteurs, Abure Laments

Published

4 hours ago

May 15, 2024

Editor

The National Chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure, on Wednesday, expressed concern that the ruling oligarchy and suspected saboteurs have infiltrated the rank of its Obidient Movement to pull down the party.

Abure raised the alarm at a press conference held at the party secretariat in Abuja.

The Obidient Movement, birthed in the build-up of the 2023 general election, comprises young Nigerians who see the hope of a new Nigeria in the candidacy of LP Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi.

The impact of the group was felt when it powered the Labour Party to a stunning performance at the February 25 presidential and national legislative elections.

To date, LP has one elected governor, 35 members of the House of Representatives and seven senators to its credit.

But Abure told journalists that the recent attitude of some Obidient members has given a notion that the movement may have been penetrated by the ruling oligarchy to erode all the gains they made in the past year.

He said, “I also want to appeal to the Obidient movement to remain in the party and be patient to learn the rudiments of politics. It is also my appeal that they should endeavour to find time to read the Constitution of the party, the Electoral Act and the 1999 Constitution. This will enable them to make a well-informed opinion about the activities of the party.

“I must say that a lot of people, particularly, the ruling oligarchy have no doubt, infiltrated the Obidient Movement and they are currently striving to carry some innocent Obidient along in derailing and unnecessarily criticising the party to bring it to disrepute and pull it down.

“This is not to say, however, that some of the complaints from the Obidients are not germane. But part of these complaints is that those who want to belong to the party have not been fully absorbed.”

To resolve the plethora of complaints bombarding the party frequently, the LP national chairman announced that a directorate has been created to attend to the affairs of the Obidient movement.

Abure said he was excited about the prospect knowing that considerable members of the group are chairmen and executives at the wards, local governments, states and national levels.

“To attend swiftly to most complaints of Obidients, we have decided to create a whole directorate dedicated to the family. That directorate will coordinate the registration of members and integrate them fully into the structure of the party.

“The directorate will also ease Diaspora participation, bring complaints to the attention of the party leadership, coordinate the collection of dues and donations to the party and ensure all Obidients are financial members.

“They will work closely with the National Youth Leader, National Women Leader, and National Organizing Secretary to create programs that will fully and effectively assimilate all members of the Obidient family to the party.

“As the national leader of the party, Mr Peter Obi, said, the national convention has come and gone. It is therefore imperative for us to put our differences aside and collectively work in the interest of the party and Nigerians who are currently suffering amid plenty. The Nigerian people have a common enemy which I refer to as the ruling oligarchy in Nigeria. They have held the country captive and ensured that our common patrimony is stolen.”