The Northern Leaders Consultative Forum has on Friday endorsed Atiku Abubakar, as the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2023 general elections..
The Forum which encompasses Christian and Muslim Political Leaders from the 19 Northern states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) started a massive mobilisation of Northerners against the All Progressives Congress (APC) same faith ticket and urged Northerners to vote for the PDP candidate for unity and progress of the country.
The decision, which was taken at the end of a meeting of the religious leaders and delegates, women, and youth organizations from the North held at the Atiku Abubakr Hall of Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja.
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The former speaker and the ex-Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, spearheaded the campaign against the Muslim-Muslim ticket adopted by the APC and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, is also one of the group’s promoters.
The Forum of Northern Christian and Muslim Leaders had on October 8 set up the committee to recommend a pan-Nigerian platform to adopt in the 2023 presidential election.
In a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting and jointly signed by a former Deputy Governor of Sokoto State, Mukhari Shagari, and ex-Minister of Water Resources, Prof. D. D. Sheni, the forum adopted the report of IRS Technical Committee led by a former Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Mohammed Umara Kumalia and Barr. Nunge Mele (SAN).
The communiqué read: “Forum, therefore, adopted the PDP and the Atiku/Okowa presidential ticket as the right ticket to support in the 2023 presidential election as it addresses all the concerns of inclusiveness, fairness and national cohesion.
”The Forum further recommended for support for the Atiku Abubakar/Ifeanyi Okowa presidential ticket to all well-meaning Nigerians across the ethnic, sectional, and religious diversities, in order to foster unity, peace, development and progress.
