NORTHERN ELDER REPLY PANDEF

The Northern Elders Forum’s Director of Publicity and Advocacy, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed has encouraged that the north should not be intimidated or threatened by any group or region in the 2023 presidential seat.

The forum was reacting to PANDEF’s statement that the North should wait for 2031 before producing another president.

Recalls that the National Publicity Secretary of PANDEF, Ken Robinson, in a statement issued in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, on Thursday, noted that it would be unwise for the north to think of clutching onto the presidential seat in 2023 after the two tenures of President Muhammadu Buhari.

The Northern Elders Forum’s Director of Publicity and Advocacy, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, in his words, “The truth of the matter is, whatever PANDEF says, no matter what any group says, the fundamental right of every citizen to elect his candidate and the rights of all political parties to choose candidates must be respected. Between this legal provision and the exigencies of managing a plural and diverse nation, politicians should fill the vacuum by doing the serious work,” he said.

He assured that the north is willing to sit down with anybody and discuss how these things can be done, assuring that no group or region can get anything by threats.

He added that the forum has reiterated the issue so many times, saying that the north should not be threatened and not be intimidated.

Baba-Ahmed enjoined PANDEF and other organisations to insist on a competent Nigerian who must run an inclusive administration that will integrate everybody into the process, stressing that it would enhance the unity and progress of the country.