Warns its members
The northern group, Arewa Consultative Forum, (ACF), has declared it does not have any preferred candidate for the 2023 presidential election.
According to ACF, any political party and its candidate must unveil what programme they have for the Northern region before they could enjoy its support.
This was contained in a communique signed by the Chairman of ACF, Chief Audu Ogbeh after its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Kaduna, on Wednesday.
The ACF, which issued a stern warning to its members against supporting candidates in its name, stated the Forum is not a political party and will not endorse anyone for the 2023 presidency.
The communiqu read in part: We have always complained of late of the security situation in the North. We are still worried about this; the security conditions in the North are far from satisfactory. We urge the Federal and State government to embark on measures that will improve the situation.
We had proposed in the past that a meeting with Afenifere/Ndigbo; this meeting has not been held because of logistic problems. This will soon be worked out and members informed accordingly.
ACF is not a political party to endorse any candidate. our plans to have meetings with afenifere, Ohanaeze, South-South people congress is still on course, because there is need to put a stop to abusive words against one region or the other.
He further said that the Forum will only engage candidates to find out the programmes they have for the North after the political parties, who have the exclusive permission of the Constitution to sponsor candidates, have chosen a presidential candidate.
Chief Ogbeh also disclosed that the ACF plans to hold meetings with their southern counterparts, South-South Peoples Congress, Afenifere, and Ohanaeze Ndigbo, in order to douse political tension in the country and ensure peaceful co-existence among Nigerians ahead of the next years general elections.
On kidnapping and killing of students and pupils in both private and public schools across the country, particularly the murder of Hanifa Abubakar, in Kano State, the ACF Chairman said, Government must try very hard to bring sanity to our school system, otherwise we are going nowhere because there are crimes like cultism, sodomy, and others in most of our schools today.
He also commended the State governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, for his prompt action in arresting the situation.
The Forum also commended the
Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufa’i, for the grand efforts made by his administration to improve the infrastructural facilities in the State.