In what appeared like a big setback and wide cracks in Professor Ango Abdullahi-led Northern Elders’ Forum (NEF), another parallel elders’ group led by Kano State-born senior citizen, Alhaji Tanko Yakassai under the auspices of Northern Elders’ Council (NEC), emerged yesterday.

Apparently detaching itself from the political ideology of NEF that power must return to the North, the NEC affirmed its total support for the emergence of President Goodluck Jonathan and Vice President Namadi Sambo in 2015.

Speaking yesterday during its inaugural meeting of the NEC with delegates from the 19 Northern states in attendance, Yakassai said for peace to reign in the country, particularly in the North, Jonathan/Sambo should be allowed to run.

But in a telephone chat with Daily Sun, the spokesperson of NEF, Dr. Paul Unongo, an elder statesman from Benue State, his group still opposed Jonathan for the election.

While opening the meeting, Kaduna State Governor Muhktar Ramalan Yero told the elders to show the youth the right political direction to follow, regretting that insecurity and other social vices have denied the younger generation to enjoy what past elders tasted when there was peace in the country.

However, Yakassai said that recent pronouncements on national issues by elder statesmen were too inciting, advising them that as elders, their responsibility was to make peace and ensure the progress of leaders rather than to tear the people and the country apart.

He said this informed the emergence of NEC, noting that the group was also established to protect the socio-economic and political interests of the North, as well as the corporate existence and stability of the nation.

According to him, “the Northern Elders Council applauds the excellent working relationship between President Jonathan and Vice President Sambo, as the political leader of the North, Sambo has shown total loyalty and dedication to Mr. President. We urge them to continue to work together in harmony in the interest of our nation

“We are ready to partner groups and individuals from all parts of the country who believe in dialogue, mutual respect, harmony and peaceful co-existence.

“We fully support the forthcoming National Dialogue and the modalities which have been adopted for selecting the delegates. We believe the dialogue will strengthen the bond of unity and solidarity among our people. It will additionally reinforce participatory sense in our democratic order and constitution.

“We in the Northern Elders’ Council appreciate the tremendous progress made in Nigeria’s march towards establishing a stable democratic order. We will work alongside all Nigerians who wish to ensure that machinations of anti-democratic forces in this country are frustrated. We reject intimidation, threat and violence. Leaders and elders must lead by example. It’s unacceptable for elders to make inciting and inflammatory statement capable of breaching the peace. We say no to war-like and belligerent posture.

“Let me reiterate that the purpose for the establishment of Northern Elders’ Council (NEC) is to protect the socio-economic and political interests of the North, the corporate existence and stability of the Nigerian nation. We are firm and committed believers in the Nigerian project. We recognize the significance of Nigeria’s centenary as a political entity and call on all Nigerians to serve as agents of consolidation of national unity and continued existence as of our nation as one indivisible country.

“Northern Nigeria has made immense contribution to the unity, wellbeing, and development of Nigeria, as well as the historical relationship of its people between the North and the South long before Amalgamation.

“The Northern Elders’ Council acknowledges the current state of violence and insurgency in the North, armed robbery and kidnappings in other parts of the country. We urge all men and women of goodwill to act in concert to eradicate these menace and stabilize the polity”.

Responding to NEC’s emergence, Unongo said, “if another old man from the North and his group feels Northern Elders’ Forum is not pursuing their interest or feel we are not pursuing them properly, they are free to form their own.

“2015, it is their right; they should canvass it, if they can sell Jonathan. As far as we are concerned, come next year, the president must come from one of the 19 states of northern Nigeria. We will give Jonathan all the backings he needs to prosecute all the problems of the North but we are dissatisfied with the way he has run the country in terms of allocation, appointments.

“So forming another northern elder something, we are not moved because we know their pedigree and we wish them well, but we will pursue our objective of producing a northern president after Jonathan in 2015. We will remain faithful to our goal, as far as we are concerned, he has not performed sufficiently enough, we are not against Ijaw people; we just want to say no, no more”.

“We are supporting the effort of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and we have been working together and any other northern group that appears not to compromise the interest of the north in a democratic set up, we will support them. So, we are not going to fight”, Unongo said.


Source: Sun