NEWS: Northern Youths shortlist Atiku, Saraki, Lamido, Sheriff, El-rufai, others to replace Buhari in 2019
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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