Former President Muhammadu Buhari has countered the Northern Elders Forum by calling on Nigerians in a Sallah message to support their leaders from the lowest to the topmost in the country.
Buhari made this call on Wednesday in a statement by his spokesman, Garba Shehu as Muslims celebrate the Eid-El-Fitri in Nigeria and beyond.
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Speaking to journalists in Daura, shortly after observing the Eid prayer on Wednesday morning, the former president congratulated fellow Muslims on the successful completion of the 30-day Ramadan fasting and the performance of the Eid.
“Support for our leaders,” Buhari said, “is a vote for a better tomorrow. It is imperative that we stand united in safeguarding the sovereignty and integrity of our nation.”
Shehu added that Buhari called on contestants to political offices to always ensure a smooth succession from one administration to another without stoking communal tensions and obstructing development, irrespective of political party affiliation.
Meanwhile, the Northern Elders Forum had earlier registered the region’s regret for pitching a tent with President Bola Tinubu in the 2023 general elections.
The elders noted that the mistake of voting for the president who was the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 outing has taught the north a lesson.
The forum recently came hard on the President when it lamented the growing insecurity across the country, especially in some Northern states.
The elders said the recent abduction of Kuriga school children in Kaduna indicated that the present goverment has failed to protect Nigerians just few months in office.
Spokesperson of the forum, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, said going forward, the region will now prioritise unity and consensus in selecting a candidate for the highest office in the land.
