As the North insists on the return of power to the region in 2015, elders under the aegis of Northern Elders Forum (NEF) have insisted that they will not back down on their agitation just as they declared their readiness to work with any political party that will offer a northern candidate its presidential ticket.
The NEF spokesman, Prof. Ango Abdullahi, said that the Forum had sounded a note of warning to northern governors who are not ready to key into the 2015 “Northern Presidency” project to prepare for the worst because there is no alternative to it.
In his words, “power must return to the north in 2015 and the region is ready to align with any political party that will offer the north the presidential ticket.”
He added: “As it is now, it appears that PDP has closed shop for a northern candidate with Tony Anenih’s automatic ticket proposal for Jonathan. But we will wait to see how it goes; if the party should have a re-think on the proposal and offer the north the presidential ticket in 2015, we will support them, but anything contrary we are out of it.
“We have made it clear to our governors before now and we will continue to remind them because we will not budge.”
On the recent suspension of Governor Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko of Sokoto state from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Abdullahi said the party has more suspensions to make because, “there is no way the party can rebuild its collapsed empire.”
The former A.B.U Vice-Chancellor lampooned Governor Isa Yuguda for vowing not to attend any meetings of the Northern Governors Forum in protest over the outcome of the recent Nigerian Governors Forum election, saying he could only stop attending the meeting, “but cannot pull out from the region, because Bauchi is part of the north and he cannot take it away.”
“We cannot continue like this. But as far as Nigerians allow themselves to be manipulated along ethnic, tribal and religious lines, there is a price for them to pay and there is a limit of such price,” he said.
“As long as we continue to choose charlatan and incompetent leaders, the country will continue to suffer for it. If you listen to people, like Tony Anenih, you will understand that what they want is to retain power and abuse it, but we cannot sit down and watch him.”
He alleged that Nigerians have seen at least 12 years of southern presidency since 1999 with little or nothing to show for it.
What a wild goose chase! The northern socalled elders have already started to complain just after very few years that they mysteriously lost power. What of other regions like S/E that has been forfeited the power since after Maj. Gen JTU Aguiyi Ironsi in the 1960s?
A senseless and worthless bunch of socalled elders!
There is always a Prize Tag.
foolish statement ……………..bcos na north get nigeria nonsense
Na Ibo get Nigeria. They are all over. From the most remote village near Baga and Bama to God knows where. All over the country and beyond. I love an Ibo man.
OPC,LAW,IMSU,you ar all bunch of bastard dogs.where were you guys when Tony Anenih made this same statement.why didn’t you guys reply him,dogz.if S/East has nt tasted power for a long time,who bisiness is it.when Gen.Buhari picked Okadibo as him running mate,what you people do??Nothing,so don’t seat there and make nonsense noice.That’s a food for thought for you S/Easterners.you guys will never learn from past history.Fools
Tony Anenih’s
They were given opportunity and unlike an Ibo man, they threw it away. All based on unfounded sentiments. Now they want to have it their own way. We are watching.
Insha Allahu 2015 is for north.
For whear,na 12 state go vote? The old equation is gone.it will take 30years for a muslim north to rule nigeria,becs the dont have elders or leaders,what did the do with the 36years of rulership?noting but polio,leprocy,poverty and ignourance.all the weapons kept for war have been seen.and all of them that distroy nigeria are northerners,ilitrates .ul only rule goats and arewa chikens and donkeys
That’s absolute rubbish! Is becoming clearer by the day, that the so-called northern elders forum are the orchestrators of the socio evils that has bedevild Nigeria as a country in the recent past all because of their selfish quest to return power to the north at all cost. Many innocent Nigerians were murdered in their cold blood, most especially the igbos living in the north. The north has held on power for too long while the southerns were watching folding their arms with little or nothing to do. The northerns felt threantened now, that power has left them. That’s why they are crying fowl. We will continue to see more of that after the 2015 general election.
The Northerners are not threatened. Check your geography. How many states make up the North? Compare that with your region. If its democracy, a game of number, what can you say? You want to use threat and intimidation to impose minority on majority?
The Igbos rejected Buhari then and are still rejecting him and will continue to reject him. We said NO to playing second fiddle to ‘born to rule’ again.
These guys are really more like a primordial slime..it amazes me the way these northerners reasons..but then I still have a lot to respect them cos it takes a lot of courage to believe in futility..
People should reason very well before they speak, have the so called nothern elders forgotten so soon that all the insecurity problems we are having today started when the north lost the presidential elections, our youth copers were murdered in cold blood.The northern quest for power at all cost led to all the problems we are facing now, where are the so called northern elders when boko haram are busy killing and bombing innocent nigerians including their own brothers.They (elders from the north should first of all put their devastated north in order before they start thinking of presenting a candidate from the north, there’s a saying that u should remove the dirts in your eyes before thinking of the dirts in some other person’s eye.A word is enough for a wise.
You are wrong. The security challenges came into limelight during Yaradua’s time. Check your history.
Despite the ‘bad’ leadership, the North is still the only region in Nigeria where all Nigerians rush to build houses and settle. Away from God knows why. The truth is, if we really believe in Nigeria, whoever is the President does not matter, unless he/she is coming to execute a Regional Agenda and not Nigerian Agenda. Those castigating the North, especially those from the SS and SE, they should name three successful Northern businessmen residing in the SS or SE and I will mention much more from SS and SE who are successful in the North because of fertile business and sociological environment, despite the recent security challenges we are facing.
What nonsense fertile business and sociological environment are you talking about? Have you forgotten that majority of the Nigerian owned oil wells are held by northerners who would rather exploit their oil from a distance? This is so because they have no regard for the people from whose land they are exploiting the oil. Please get your facts right. The fact that Northerners do not live in the South South does not detract from the fact that they make their money from that region. That makes the situation even worse because it shows the northerners as only interested in taking and taking without giving back. The proverbial ‘owelu owelukwa’ if you may.
This old man call Ango is beginning to talk any how like Buhari, he should be cautioned.
And nothing wrong with statements coming from illiterate Clarke.
GEJ,i hope they were opening their mind to us,pls use all our money and fight for that seat.stop looking at face
I think you people should do a sincere comparative analysis of all the past regimes including the present administration, you will realize that every part of this country has held one key position or the other @ one time or the other. Truthfully, our problem is not about who rules but about the structure of governance in Nigeria!