The Nation
Northern Elders’ Forum didn’t endorse Atiku, says Junaid Muhammed
Adekunle Yusuf by Adekunle Yusuf February 12, 2019
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A Second Republic lawmaker and prominent member of the Northern Elders’ Forum (NEF), Dr. Junaid Muhammed, has said the socio-cultural group did not endorse People’s Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

According to Muhammed, only some members of the group, led by Prof. Ango Abdullahi, backed Atiku.

Last week, leaders and elders of some geo-political zones announced their endorsement of the PDP candidate as their preferred choice for the February 16 presidential polls.

This was sequel to a meeting tagged, “Summit of Nigerian leaders and elders,” held at Sheraton Hotel, Abuja, where leaders and elders of a few socio-cultural bodies such as Ohaneze Ndigbo, Pan-Niger Delta, Middle Belt Forum and a faction of Afenifere teamed up with NEF to announce the purported endorsement.

But, in an interview with The Nation yesterday, Muhammed said NEF has not officially thrown its weight behind any presidential candidate.

“There was no time we discussed endorsement of any candidate in NEF. What was announced was a personal decision of Prof. Ango Abdullahi. The whole thing was cooked up; it was faked,” he said.

Giving an insight into how the endorsement has triggered a crisis in NEF, Muhammed said his group summoned and interviewed PDP presidential aspirants, but could not arrive at a consensus candidate.

The prominent politician insisted that failure to convince the aspirants to embrace consensus option led to the PDP primary in Port Harcourt, River State.

“Sometimes last year, the newly appointed convener (as we call our leader) of Northern Elders’ Forum in the person of Prof. Ango Abdullahi, one-time vice chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, called a meeting of NEF. He summoned the meeting at Arewa House in Kaduna. He claimed that there were about 16 to 18 organisations that they have discussed with. And that they have decided to pass a vote of no confidence in the person of President Muhammadu Buhari and APC government.

“At the meeting, it was a controversial decision because the person, who read the resolution was an aide of Senate President Bukola Saraki.

“There is no consensus in the North. And lately, Prof Ango decided to combine with other socio-cultural groups such as Ohaneze Ndigbo, Afenifere Revival, Pan-DEF led by Edwin Clark. These are groups agitating for restructuring, state police, security of the country and its various components and so on.

“There is no consensus in NEF on some of issues because most of us are not members of the PDP. We left them to go and solve their problems in their own party because it was not our own problem. That is why they went for primaries in Port Harcourt, where money was used in the way it has never been used in the politics of Nigeria. And in the end, it was the man with the highest loads of money that emerged as presidential candidate. Whether it was democratic or not was not the issue.

“As if that was not enough, another meeting of NEF was summoned and Atiku Abubakar was announced as the unanimous candidate or choice of the whole of the North.



“Throughout the history of Nigeria, nobody – not even Sardauna of Sokoto Alhaji Sir Ahmadu Bello – has ever been given such an honour. The North used to have Northern People’s Congress, Borno Youth Movement, People’s Redemption Party, Great Nigeria People’s Party and so on. An organisation, which is not political or elected or appointed is now declaring somebody as the unanimous choice of the North and is being presented as the choice of the North.”

Despite the fact that the former lawmaker in the Second Republic has been critical of President Buhari, he said Atiku is no match for Buhari.

“Whether Buhari is doing well or not, Atiku is no choice. If you are talking about integrity, Atiku is nowhere compared to Buhari. If you are talking about exposure, Atiku was VP and had a rocky relationship with his boss, President Olusegun Obasanjo. If you have to endorse anybody, you need to explain the reason to the people of the North. But no reason was given.

“I have been critical of the President, but nobody should use my name to endorse Atiku because Prof. Ango or any other person does not have the right to take the North for a ride.

“How can anybody announce that a place that consists of a land mass of over 60 per cent of Nigeria has decided to embrace a unanimous candidate? People who issue statements should do so in their own names; not in the name of any organisation,” he said.

http://thenationonlineng.net/northern-elders-forum-didnt-endorse-atiku-says-junaid-muhammed/

That one is their concern because come Saturday this nightmare called Buhari must come to an end ..its a National duty !!!!

I have stopped arguing with any one

Saturday is around the corner

Shesi Wike said Christians vote will make Atiku win shay ?

No problem Saturday is nigh

let's see it this way, there are pro APC, there are pro PDP.
there are neutral Nigerians who are divided into sub categories.
1, the third force beleivers
2, those who have given upon the country
3, the guillible followers
4, the politically inclined ones.

I fall in the 4th category and I can boldly tell you its almost impossible for we in this category to support atiku as we see buhari as the lesser devil..
like I said, we are politically inclined we know the cause of the recession, we've seen the worst set of Senate, weve seen the f.g weakness in Fulani menance as well as the improvement in insurgency.

we've weigh our option and we've decided to stick with buhari and osibanjo f.g as well as critically scrunitise our senate by making sure saraki and the likes don't return..

SalamRushdie:
That one is their

Your tribal man will not win

He’s a tribal bigot

That’s why you guys are supporting atiku

sarrki:
I have stopped arguing with any one

Saturday is around the corner

Shesi Wike said Christians vote will make Atiku win shay ?

No problem Saturday is nigh

Get your sniper close cos the demand is high now.

SalamRushdie:
That one is their concern because come Saturday this nightmare called Buhari must come to an end ..its a National duty !!!!

I swear if Atiku comeclose upto 2 million vote to Buhari I will give you 1000 usd

I swear with God Almighty

sarrki:
I have stopped arguing with any one

Saturday is around the corner

Shesi Wike said Christians vote will make Atiku win shay ?

No problem Saturday is nigh

Wike said no such thing ... You should be ashamed of yourself for supporting a man that's completely unfit for leadership... See Sarrki the man called Buhari must go !!!!

sarrki:

I swear if Atiku comeclose upto 2 million vote to Buhari I will give you 1000 usd
I swear with God Almighty

Elder Statesman is vexing!
We are so sure you are keeping your money patriot,
Cos it is damn impossible for Atiku to get that much votes.
SAI BABA jor....

Davash222:

Get your sniper close cos the demand is high now.

If south south and southeast did not deliver Gej

Why now?

You cannot speak for all of them.... Your own is to talk, they will do the voting!

SalamRushdie:


Wike said no such thing ... You should be ashamed of yourself for supporting a man that's completely unfit for leadership... See Sarrki the man called Buhari must go !!!!

You rather be ashamed of your hatred towards the yorubas

sarrki:


If south south and southeast did not deliver Gej

Why now?

It’s too late for all that now. Four days from now, your eyes go open. Stay tuned.

sarrki:



I swear if Atiku comeclose upto 2 million vote to Buhari I will give you 1000 usd

I swear with God Almighty

are you saying Atiku will not get up to 2 million votes or that Buhari will beat him with 2 million votes?

All this endorsement will stop come 15th of this month, election eve. So so and so REACT TO will start 17th lol. Awon ti chemical reaction . Funny country

4 + 0 = Daura!

If you know, you know.

SalamRushdie:


are you saying Atiku will not get up to 2 million votes or that Buhari will beat him with 2 million votes?

Buhari will beat him more than 2 million votes

sarrki:


You rather be ashamed of your hatred towards the yorubas

what has Yoruba got to do with incompetent Buhari, we are saying we don't want Buhari again and that's all...the man is not qualified for leadership in anyway .. The whole world cannot be wrong about one man

sarrki:
I have stopped arguing with any one

Saturday is around the corner

Shesi Wike said Christians vote will make Atiku win shay ?

No problem Saturday is nigh

Not all Christians will vote Atiku. I am Christian and I will vote Buhari

Davash222:

It’s too late for all that now. Four days from now, your eyes go open. Stay tuned.

we are even more anxious than you guys. We can't wait to send that clear message.

He

Meanwhile good Nigerians over to you all.Does Buhari still deserves a second term?

attimes I wonder...does endorsement of elections candidates wins the final elections in Nigeria? Even in 2015 so many endorse GEJ but he lost to buhari. ....
the north is just confuse about this election but am happy its playing this way..
A TITAN against a TITAN. .....a northerner vs a northerner .....a FULANI man versus a fellow FULANI man.....so the north decide....I wish them well

If they like let them endorse him. Didn't they endorse Jonathan? #FeBuhari!