Northern Elders forum not speaking for North –Matawalle

•CCNG Lampoons NEF, Passes Vote Of Confidence OnTinubu’s Govt

The Minister of State for Defence, Bello Muhammed Matawalle, has said the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) is not speaking for the North over the claim that it regretted voting President Bola Tinubu, so, come 2027 the North will not vote him.

In a statement, the minister said: “It is preposterous for a group of people seeking political relevance to overburden the system and create political disunity among Nigerians.

“The so-called NEF is more or less a political paperweight trying to embark on a destructive journey that will bring the North to disrepute for the group’s personal and selfish gains.

“This NEF is more of a political burden to Northerners. The group is seeking to erode other people’s rights in order to be recognised or made relevant in the scheme of things despite the failure of their sponsored candidates in the 2023 general elections.

“In as much as many have overlooked them in respect of their utterances, it is pertinent to underscore their overbearing attitude on issues that affect political unity and cohesion. They cannot offer any positive idea or thought about the future of Northern Nigeria or, indeed, of Nigeria and its unity and togetherness.”

Matawalle said Tinubu won the February 2023 presidential election convincingly. “So, who is the NEF to want to undermine the president’s victory and even threaten to unseat him?

“This same group of people have intentionally shied away from their responsibility of engendering unity in the North by appreciating the incremental development being brought to the North by ministers appointed by Tinubu from the North, especially Northwest.

“The NEF has not deemed it fit to seek audience with Mr. President to discuss issues affecting the Northern region despite the numerous challenges facing the North as rightly highlighted by the President and being addressed by him.

“The group is yet to visit any of the ministers dealing with issues of security, agriculture, water resources, police affairs, education, health, budget, foreign affairs, or any head of security agencies in the country so far for firshandknowledge of government programmes and actions.”

The minister claimed the majority of NEF members are more interested in faulting the government so as to be recognised or accorded some relevance. “Our region, the North, is united, disciplined and politically-driven enough not to listen and accept being teleguided by any group of elite who had fed fat in the past on the North’s resources and opportunities, which had retarded development in the region and nation due to their selfishness.”

The minister insisted that Tinubu is poised to do a lot for the North as President of Nigeria, elected by the people of Nigeria, not by one ethnic group or the other, therefore, anyone mistakenly seeingTinubu as a failure or a weakling is making a mistake and should rethink.

“Such a person or group is either blind or misguided and unable to see the new Nigeria that is emerging.Therefore, the NEF’s statement allegedly expressing regret for voting for President Tinubu is unfortunate.

“NEF is not more than a group that has refused to accept reality and is living in delusion.The truth is that the North is proud of its support and vote forTinubu and will continue to be proud of her relationship with the president given the enormous change and development his government has brought to the region.

“”My advice to NEF and others alike is to support the present government and join hands with President Tinubu to further move the country forward.”
Similarly, the Coalition of Concerned Northern Groups (CCNG) has passed a vote of confidence on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, calling on the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) to withdrawal it’s opposition against the government.

The coalition also said that it finds it pertinent to respond to the statement by the NEF, which wrongly depicted Tinubu’s government. According to CCNG President, Muhammad Ibrahim, in a statement, yesterday, the spokesperson of the NEF expressed regret of the forum for supporting and voting for Tinubu without clearly stating why, more so, the group’s spokesperson said that the north will not accept a second-term for Tinubu.

“We wish to draw the attention of the NEF to the fact that it is a very unwise move for it to engage in such slander especially now that the hardwork of the president is seen by Nigerians to be manifesting practically.

“It baffles us that the NEF was silent when under former President MuhammaduBuhari hundreds of innocent men, women and children were killed, aside clampingdown on Shi’ites members in Kaduna in 2015. Were they not northerners that were murdered in an extrajudicial manner?”

The CCNG leader further said: “Was it not during the Buhari regime that the banditry became more prominent in the Northwest, a situation that has virtually killed the farming profession in the region and destroyed lives and property. Yet the NEF never rose against that.”

Ibrahim lamented that it is hardly two years into the regime’s tenure, which started on a very difficult footing with many things to be put aright after being detracted by the immediate past regime.

“Hence, it will be un-elderly of an elders’ forum to demonise this regime instead of giving it the benefit of doubt.” Countering NEF claims that they mobilised the north in favour of Tinubu, even as his major contender, AtikuAbubakar was a northerner, Ibrahim said that the claim cannot be substantiated because they have no such influence over the electorate in the region.

He added: “in comparison with the Buhari regime, the NEF is not fair to Tinubu who is currently enjoying the goodwill of Nigerians because of his commitment to national development and progress.”