Barely a week after the apex socio-political group in the North, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) publicly reprimanded one of its leaders and former military administrator of Plateau and Katsina states, General Lawrence Onoja, for visiting the Presidential Villa in Abuja along others to endorse President Goodluck Jonathan for the 2015 election, the forum has again come hard on the Benue State born retired military officer.

The ACF has removed Onoja from all leadership positions and in his place appointed another retired military officer, General A. B. Mamman.

One of such committees, chaired by the ex-military administrator before his sack, is the ACF’s harmonisation sub-committee on North Central, which was set up to unify all major groups in the North, especially the forum and the Northern Elders Forum (NEF).

This is even as facts have emerged on how frontline Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Clark, allegedly tricked some of the leaders who attended the controversial endorsement meeting to the presidential villa.

Saturday Sun had last weekend reported how Gen. Onoja was rebuked by the ACF national chairman, Alhaji Aliko Mohammed, during the body’s annual general meeting in Kaduna, where angry youths also mobbed him, for allegedly joining some leaders on a visit to President Jonathan in the villa, where they endorsed him to re-contest in 2015.

An angry ACF chairman had declared, in his remarks at the AGM: “ We noticed with dismay that some members of this organisation have gone to the president and assured him that he must contest in the 2015 election. We are really surprised that some members that went there are also members of ACF. It is very sad that the Presidency has employed the divide and rule tactics against the North.

“I am speaking particularly of two gentlemen; the two gentlemen I am referring to, one is in ACF and the other is of Northern Elders Forum. The person in ACF is retired General Lawrence Onoja. He was actually part of the group that went to see the president. Also, one of the elders, Senator John Wash Pam, was there.

“It is the considered view of ACF that starting politics of 2015 is too early. It is counter-productive. Apart from heating up the polity, such early start can distract from governance, more so that INEC is yet to give the green light for political activities to begin.

“We were surprised that they have gone to see the President, particularly Onoja that is here with us in ACF. We have gone with Onoja to every meeting we have held, and he turned round to say the President must contest in 2015, using the word, must.”

After Mohammed’s remarks, journalists were excused from the meeting, after which other leaders took on Onoja.

A source at the meeting revealed that an opportunity was given to the former military governor to offer the forum an apology but instead he chose to defend his visit to the presidential villa, citing his fundamental human rights, as enshrined in the nation’s constitution as grounds of his defence.

This posture, youth leaders in the meeting took for arrogance and mobbed Onoja calling him such names as “sell out”, “you’re broke”, “inconsistent leader” among others . It was learnt that it took the intervention of some ACF leaders, especially Senator Joseph Waku, to calm the angry youths who wanted to lynch the retired Army General.

Waku was said to have succeeded in prevailing on angry members at the meeting to consider the implication of any fracas, stressing: “Those who want to divide us will be happy.”

The ACF national vice chairman, it was gathered, thereafter, asked Onoja to stand on his feet, while he (Waku) apologised to the Forum on his behalf.

Onoja however, told journalists last week Friday that though Jonathan has constitutional rights to contest 2015 presidential election, he never at any time endorsed him under the platform of ACF but under the umbrella of Middle Belt Forum (MBF), stressing that ACF’s accusation that he endorsed the President for 2015, on its behalf, lacked every iota of facts and figures.

He said that as a Nigerian he has every right to visit the president whenever he wanted to visit him, adding that nobody could stop him from visiting the nation’s seat of power. He said he would not apologise to ACF for what he did not do against the Forum, stressing that whoever apologised on his behalf must have done so out of elderly responsibility and wisdom for peace to reign.

In his words: “It is completely false that I told Jonathan on behalf of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) to contest 2015 election; it is a misinterpretation of the fact. I am a member of ACF. I am a very active member for that matter, and this was attested to by the Chairman during the AGM meeting.

“And so for anybody to say that I went on a mission to endorse the President, the person does not have the fact before his conclusion on me. And let me also add that the president is a Nigerian. He is the elected president of Nigeria as of now, and he has the right to contest for his second tenure, and that is completely in his hand, it is not in anybody’s hand, he has the right under the constitution to seek second term.

“As far as I am concerned, I’m a Nigerian who has the fundamental rights to choose to do whatever I want to do. I went to see the president as part of the people of North central and elders of the Middle Belt Forum. And when I went there I didn’t say anything to the press nor did I grant press interview. So if anybody issued a statement regarding the document, it is the person they should call and hold him responsible.

“But for anybody to hold me responsible for any endorsement, that person does not have the facts. I have every right to visit the president any time I feel like doing so because the president is the president of the whole country.

“I did not apologise to ACF over the matter, it was Senator Joseph Waku who apologised on my behalf. My reaction to that apology is that if I were to apologise directly I wouldn’t have apologised because I have no apology. After all, I had already left the venue when he apologised. However, as an elder, Waku must have intervened in a matter that involved me in the ACF, where I am a member.

“As far as I am concerned, the president is my president; he is my Command-In-Chief, and I reserve the rights as a Nigerian to visit the villa at any time I feel to do so.

“It must be remembered that as at today, the president is in a different party, and I am in a different party. As the president of the alumni association of National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, an outfit directly supervised by the president, I therefore, from time to time, go to the Villa to consult with the president or the vice president on issues relating to the administration of NIPPS along with the alumni association which is an outfit of that big institute.”

The above statement by Onoja was said to have further irked the ACF leadership, which this week decided to sack the former military administrator from all committees either as chairman or member.

The decision to remove Onoja, who has been noted to be an active member of the forum, from all positions of responsibilities in the body, was confirmed by the ACF’s national vice chairman, North Central, Senator JKN Waku, who however, said all moves to communicate the decision to the retired General had so far failed because he could not be reached since the incident in Kaduna last week.

According to Waku, “He (Onoja) is my younger brother. I brought him to ACF. Whatever he did wrong, it is my responsibility to plead for him. And I am sure he appreciated my intervention at the meeting because he called me last week Thursday night to thank me for my intervention. I have tried my best to save him from this embarrassment, but he came out to boast that he had no apology to offer, which is tantamount to ridiculing me.”

When asked why Senator Pam Wash, who also attended the meeting with Jonathan, has not been punished, like Onoja, Waku said: “Pam had offered explanations and apologies at a pre-AGM meeting on how he was tricked to the villa.”

A source said that Chief Clark had invited some of the leaders, who attended the endorsement meeting, claiming that, “President Jonathan wanted them to come so that he can appreciate them for the votes given him by Middle Belt people in the 2011 election.”

However, an ACF chief stated: “It’s unfortunate that they could be so easily tricked for whatever price,” while confirming the excuse as part of explanations given by Onoja and Pam for attending the villa meeting.

http://www.ekekeee.com/arewa-consultative-forum-sacks-senior-general-onoja-endorsing-jonathan-2015/?utm_source=&utm_medium=twitter

HAH:
My problem with your so called middle. Belt is your opportunism, if today power comes back to the north the same middle belters will start saying they are arewa people. You better take a stance

edoyad:

I'm struggling to make any sense out of this simplistic generalisation of yours. I take it that every voter in Ekiti opted for PDP and in the case of Osun all voters chose APC ? In case you don't know, many Nigerians decide who they will vote for based on their own free will, driven by many factors. This may not be the case in some areas with very low literacy levels, where the electorate are hearded like sheep to vote based misguided religious interpretations.

ofala: It is very proper to "thank" those that voted or those that are supposed leaders of some ethnic blocks BUT what could be a better thank you? Giving them money for their pockets OR ensuring that generality of Nigerians have at least 12 hours of electricity daily?




The need for National rebirth is so glaring and will continue to negatively affect the state,Nigeria till we have leaders who will vow to put the horse before the cart...



*As for the ACF, they have right to change persons on their leadership ladder*

manmade: u can do better than the above remarks, does ACF also have the right on deciding who contest or who doesn't contest for the president ?

jerseyboy: ACF has no relevance to the middle belt and Christian north. Hausa Fulani have lost the middle belt forever. Onoja knows that. He and the rest of his like are on their own when they sit at the ACF. They represent no one.

Lordlexyy: Well, i don't know how old you are or how long you have stayed in the country, but it will interest you to know that the term middle belt and its formation isn't an accidental birth but a stance that out lived the independent of this great country, so stand on the premise that their loyalty is base on which region produces the president shows you are ignorant about history and reality.

ofala: My brother, my point there is that the removal of any of their members from whatever position is their in-house situation..
What really captured my thoughts there is that supposed opinion leaders are "tricked" to Abj and allegedly bribed in whatever guise while so much in the very fabrics of our National lives are decaying/screaming for attention...

HAH:

Middle belt is just another name for Christian northerners association, if not how can someone from Michika or Biu be claiming middle belt, kwarans don't call themselve middle belt they either align with west or call themselves north central ,same with Niger people they don't call themselves middle belt but north central, the only states that call themselves middle belt are those from former Benue-Plateau state.

And I repeat Middle belt is an opportunistic Body depending on where the pendulum swings, if a northerners is president they are northerners if not they are against north.

Most of your so called Middle Belt leader were made who they are by northerners, including Onoja ,Mark,Jang check your history books tell me one Middle belt leader that has not benefited from northern leadership.

HAH:

Middle belt is just another name for Christian northerners association, if not how can someone from Michika or Biu be claiming middle belt, kwarans don't call themselve middle belt they either align with west or call themselves north central ,same with Niger people they don't call themselves middle belt but north central, the only states that call themselves middle belt are those from former Benue-Plateau state.

And I repeat Middle belt is an opportunistic Body depending on where the pendulum swings, if a northerners is president they are northerners if not they are against north.

Most of your so called Middle Belt leader were made who they are by northerners, including Onoja ,Mark,Jang check your history books tell me one Middle belt leader that has not benefited from northern leadership.

edoyad:

You failed to mention Southern Kaduna, Most of Taraba , Parts of Kebbi etc. Whether you accept it or not, these areas were ripped off during the delineation of our internal regions. Tell me what a youth from Kano has in common, socially, ideologically or historically with one from Jos, Gboko or Kafanchan.
The only thing you can use to lump these people together is the fact that Hausa, which spread as a result of commercial activities was widely used and is still used in many of these places. But if you choose to use that , there is a local government in Benue, Ogbadigbo where you can find indigenes, who have never left their towns speaking Yoruba fluently. What do we say then ?

HAH:

I don't know how you derive your boundary but you will be economical with the truth to tell me that a part of Kebbi state is in the middle of Nigeria unless you don't know your elementary geography of Nigeria.

Simple as I said earlier Middle belt is Association of northen christian

HAH:

Middle belt is just another name for Christian northerners association, if not how can someone from Michika or Biu be claiming middle belt, kwarans don't call themselve middle belt they either align with west or call themselves north central ,same with Niger people they don't call themselves middle belt but north central, the only states that call themselves middle belt are those from former Benue-Plateau state.

And I repeat Middle belt is an opportunistic Body depending on where the pendulum swings, if a northerners is president they are northerners if not they are against north.

Most of your so called Middle Belt leader were made who they are by northerners, including Onoja ,Mark,Jang check your history books tell me one Middle belt leader that has not benefited from northern leadership.

Validated:

The appellation 'Middle Belt' does not necessarily mean that the region is exactly in the middle of Nigerian map. It would then be wrong to class Delta, Edo, Cross Rivers and Akwa Ibom as South-South if we adopt your analogy. Middle Belt represents those minority groups in the North especially in the Benue basin / Kwara / Kogi axis, some part of Kebbi and Niger State, Plateau, especially Christians within these regions. Although you can call these people as Arewa, but for political alignment, the whole Arewa is divided into North East, North West and North Central or Middle Belt.