Ango Abdullahi, Spokesperson of the Northern Elders Forum, NEF, has dismissed insinuations of plans by the North to adopt a consensus candidate for the 2019 presidential elections.
Speaking to Saturday Sun on Friday, February 16, 2018, he said neither the forum nor any other group known to him has plans to go for a consensus candidate in next year’s elections.
The former Vice Chancellor of Ahmedu Bello University, Zaria was reacting to a statement credited to former Kaduna State governor, Balarabe Musa that NEF members are selfish and that their push for a consensus candidate would fail.
“I don’t know of any group right now that has plans for such an idea. People are confusing these various groups. There is ACF, there is NEF, there is also this recent creation of last week meeting in Abuja that was reported as Northern Elders Political Forum
“People should know that these groups are not the same, ACF is different; NEF is also different, and also the one that was shown in Abuja, the Northern Elders Political Forum.”
“Maybe, Balarabe Musa is confusing this last one with the others that have been there for years now. All I know is that we are going to look for a good leader. We should be worried that the country should have good leaders at all the levels of governance. What we are worried is about good governance come 2019. “Who is talking about consensus candidate when there are parties that are going through primaries, and then their candidates would contest election. The issue of consensus candidates will not even arise. We will argue for a good person who perhaps is contesting in whatever party; there is no place we will call for a consensus candidate.”
He said the current leadership of Nigeria has failed, regretting that the “Azikiwes, Sadaunas and Awos did very far better than the leaders we have today.”
He added: “If we want change, we should go back to the parliamentary system of government, not this very corrupt, inefficient and no accountability type of government.
“In parliamentary system, you can’t be a minister unless you were elected; then you have a constituency of people; the parliament is your constituency, but now people only worship those who appoint them, and they don’t care about others.”
