The Northern Elders Forum, (NEF), have said they were aware of alleged attempts by some politicians interested in contesting the 2023 presidential election to weaken the North on many fronts in the aftermath of #EndSARS protest.
The NEFs Director, Publicity and Advocacy, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, who disclosed this in a statement yesterday night, said that he Forum also said it had credible information about an alleged plan to force restructuring on the North under the guise of ending the agitation against bad governance in the country.
According to Dr. Baba-Ahmed, the North was capable of identifying and protecting its own interests, and would neither be blackmailed nor intimidated into accepting restructuring as a means to higher standards of justice, better security, and progress for all Nigerians.
The NEF also said it was disappointed that last weeks meeting in Kaduna by Northern Governors, high-level federal government officials and traditional rulers barely made mention of the insecurity of communities within the region
The elders said the focus of the meeting on the potential for abuse of social media platforms and the possibility of hoodlums hijacking the #EndSARS protest in many cities of the south was uncalled for.
The North is ready to discuss all elements of our co-existence, but will not be stampeded into submitting to other interests who feel uncomfortable with a strong and united North, or blackmailing us to adopt their versions of our future, it stated.
The Forum also noted the efforts of President Muhammadu Buhari to improve engagements with northern leaders, and expressed its hope that these will not be a public relations stunt in place of real efforts aimed at improving the security of the region.
Meanwhile, the Northern elders paid tribute to its Director-General, Dr. Yima Sen, who died recently, describing his services to the Forum as invaluable.
