2023: Northern groups disown Atiku over ‘Yoruba, Igbo’ comment

From Femi  Oyelola, Kaduna

The Arewa Joint Committee has distanced self from a comment made by the Candidate of People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, during his interface with the committee last Saturday, where he said, Northerners don’t need Yoruba or Igbo president.

The Joint Committee comprising of six Northern groups, namely; Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Arewa House, Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation, Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Arewa Research and Development Project (ARDP) and the Jamiyyar Matan Arewa, said on Tuesday at a press conference that, Atiku should defend himself.

It would be recalled that the opposition party candidate, while responding to questions by the spokesman of NEF, Dr. Hakeem Baba Ahmed on why he thinks North should vote for him in 2023, said, “an average Northerner does not need a Yoruba or Igbo president, but a northern President who is a pan Nigeria.”

Atiku’s comment had generated reactions from different quarters in the last few days, with many groups, including Ohanaeze Ndigbo, demanding apologies from the former Vice President.

Speaking with Journalists during a press conference in Kaduna on Tuesday, the Chairman Steering Committee, Mallam Murtala Aliyu, said the same question administered to Atiku was asked other candidates too, adding that every response expressed by the various candidates of the various political parties is solely their opinion and has nothing to do with the fundamental objectives of the joint committee.

He said, “Atiku should clear himself. The same question asked by the Committee was administered to other presidential candidates too. So we have no business with the opinion expressed by our guests,” he said.

The joint committee further stressed that the interactions were not planned with the goal of endorsing any candidate, adding that the maiden edition only seeks to address the challenges of the north by any candidate who emerge victoriously in the forthcoming general election.

According to the Committee; “These interactions  themselves were not planned with the goal of endorsing a candidate. They are part of a longer process that plans to generate commitments to address the challenges of the North by candidates, and which covers a substantial part of the campaigning period.

“We plan to extract and publish these commitments so that Nigerians may measure and evaluate candidates against them. Our goal is to afford citizens an opportunity to match candidates against their commitments to matters that are central to the interests of the North.

“Until the elections in February, 2023 the North will be challenged to raise its vigilance over all electoral activities. It is vital that we practice evidence of competence, integrity, quality of preparation and commitment to address the challenges of the North among candidates.

“We will continue to invite the attention of the government to the security of the electoral process, and in particular the vulnerability of many parts of the North of organized crime which may pose a serious threat to their right to participate in electing the next sect of leaders in 2023.

“The need to show restraint and discipline as politicians canvass for our elections has never been more pressing. The entire Nation must be open to all contestants and free from violence.

“The exploitation of of ethnic and religious fault lines is extremely dangerous, and the nation is already showing signs of stress owing to this exploitation.”