Ahead of the 2023 General election, critical stakeholders from the North led by the leadership of the Northern Elders Forum ( NEF) who met under the aegis of Northern Leaders of Thought in Kaduna, have dismissed the notion that power is shifted to the South in 2023.
They insisted that Northerners have equal rights to aspire to all offices in Nigeria.
The stakeholders who included leaders of Northern based NGOs, CBOs, and numerous faith-based organisations, agreed that such persons aspiring for leadership positions in 2023 must be competent, possess evidence of personal integrity and commitment to the rule of law above all other considerations.
In a communiqué of Northern Leaders of Thought, issued at Arewa House Kaduna, after a one-day meeting with a theme “Rebuilding the North” on 15 January 2022, they said
“We the Northern Leaders of Thought, on this historic day of January 15th 2022 at Arewa House Kaduna, deliberated on the theme “Rebuilding the North” after extensive discussions and deliberations on the affairs that affect the North and Nigeria as a whole, we hereby resolve as follows;”
“The meeting agreed to release this Communiqué, which was signed by Professor Doknan Decent Danjuma Shenni, a former Vice-Chancellor of the Plateau State University.”
“The current state of insecurity in the North is unprecedented and unacceptable. While commending the efforts of the nation’s defence and security forces in rolling back sundry threats that have weakened the Nigerian State and made life almost valueless, the meeting advises the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, Governors, and Legislators to revisit and re-prioritize spending on security and addressing the scourge of poverty. We recommend the increase in recruitment of security personnel.”
“The Fundamental rights of all political parties to field candidates of their choices, and the right of voters to freely exercise choices over who leads them cannot be compromised.”
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” Northerners have equal rights to aspire to all offices but they must raise competence, evidence of personal integrity and commitments to the rule of law above all other considerations.:
“Northerners should ignore provocative statements from groups in the South of Nigeria who appear to believe that Command Democracy in which threats and hate campaigns are their hallmarks or defining elements will work in Nigeria. North should vote for the best Leader.”
“The Meeting notes the desperate condition of the economic existence of most Northerners, poses additional threats to security and the democratic process. It recommends that leaders should avoid pushing the population into deeper poverty and desperation with challenging economic policies and a lack of empathy. Government at all levels should consider a form of the structured welfare system to alleviate poverty in the populace.”
” The Meeting advises the Federal Government to postpone the planned 2022 National Census in view of the large numbers of displaced Nigerians and the proximity of the census to the 2023 elections.”
“The Meeting urges the National and States Assemblies to prioritize constitutional amendments currently being processed. It further urges President Muhammadu Buhari
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