Key northern groups met in Kaduna on Saturday and asked northerners to examine “all options” in political choices they will make in 2019 — a development not particularly good for President Muhammadu Buhari who is thought to be seeking a second term in office.

While some northern governors have already endorsed Buhari for another term, the 18 northern groups –including the apex socio-cultural group Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) — warned in the communique shared with TheCable that no one “should take the North for granted”.

They also said the leadership selection process must be critically interrogated “to present the best leader to Nigeria as a whole”.

Other prominent groups that attended the summit and signed the communique are the Supreme Council for Shariah in Nigeria, Jama’atu Nasiril Islam and the northern chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria.

“The historic gains in Northern political unity secured by Northern votes in the 2015 elections have been wasted by the poor management of conflicts between and among Northern communities,” they said, adding that that most political office holders from the north “are hereby served notice that they have failed the test to lead the region towards economic recovery and growth”.

THE FULL TEXT
Communique of the Summit of Northern Groups, held at Arewa House, Kaduna, on Saturday, 24th March, 2018

Leading Northern Groups and Associations held a Summit of their leaders at Arewa House, Kaduna on Saturday 24th March, 2018. The Summit was convened to assess the security, economic and political circumstances of the North and Northern communities in other parts of Nigeria. Specifically, the Summit reviewed the worrying state of insecurity under which virtually all Northerners live; the worsening economic fortunes of the vast majority of Northerners and the options that are available to the North as it prepares to engage the political process towards the elections of 2019.

The Summit noted that in spite of notable successes by the Buhari administration against the Boko Haram insurgency in the North East, many Northern communities still live under its threat. In many other parts of the North, communities are routinely exposed to attacks from shadowy killers, and suspicion and anger at known and suspected killers are pitching Northerners against each other. Armed bandits terrorize rural communities almost at will, while kidnappings and abductions have assumed alarming notoriety as crimes. The nation’s security and law and order assets are stretched beyond points where they can’t provide even the most elementary confidence and protection of citizens. The North has rarely been so exposed to multiple and varied threats.

The economy of the North continues to deteriorate in spite of the evident willingness of Northerners to work hard and earn legitimate incomes. Its basic infrastructure suffers massive deficits in funding while its growing population starves from lack of critical investment in human capital development. Federal government spending is severely tilted against the North, while most State governments only pay lip service to real development in their states. Agriculture shows limited glimpses of recovery, but almost entirely through efforts of peasants and antiquated processes. The North is completely de-industrialized, while the rest of the nation moves towards sustainable growth and development. There is no evidence of bold thinking, strong political will and/or serious concern by any leadership at any level to reverse the alarming decline of the Northern economy.

Since 2015, Northerners have occupied positions with the potential to make decisive differences in the economy, security or political fortunes of the region. The hopes that leaders who have exercised power since 2015 will reverse the abuse and neglect of the region in the previous decade have been betrayed. Weak governance, gross insensitivity and unacceptable levels of incompetence have been compounded by battles of attrition in which northerners have sapped each others’ strength. Weak and incoherent responses to provocations from other parts of the country around the imperatives of re-visiting the foundations and structures of the Nigerian state have created the false image of a North without its own positions beyond survival as the parasite of Nigeria. The historic gains in Northern political unity secured by Northern votes in the 2015 elections have been wasted by the poor management of conflicts between and among Northern communities. Today Northern communities are erecting barricades against members of other communities, as well as and politicians who have failed to lead and make impacts in lives of the poor and the vulnerable are daily feeding the people with hate and resentment instead of searching for genuine and lasting solutions. In a region with enough resources for every community or trade, our people are now fighting for morsels, while leaders think of new ways to turn our misery into electoral capital.

The Summit, having undertaken a thorough analysis of the state of the North and our communities, therefore:

URGES all leaders, elders and communities to seek peaceful resolutions of conflicts between and among communities. Lives lost, injuries suffered and losses incurred in any community must be redressed firmly and fairly. The roots of co-existence and inter-dependence in all Northern communities are much deeper than the barricades being erected around communities. All persons who are involved in killings and crimes against communities must be brought to book.

DEMANDS immediate and decisive steps to improve the security of lives and economic assets in the North by the federal and state governments. Too many communities are at the mercy of attacks from sundry groups of criminals who appear to have unchallenged access to space and weapons.

APPEALS to Northern Governors and President Muhammadu Buhari to set in motion serious initiatives towards achieving higher levels of trust among Northern communities which is vital for the imperatives of peace and justice.

INSISTS that the routine denial of the rights of the North to its fair share of budgetary allocations by the federal government must cease from the 2018 budget. Northern representatives in the National Assembly must live up to their oaths to protect the rights of their constituencies to equity in the allocation of national resources.

WARNS that no Northern politician should expect to be voted for in the next general election unless they demonstrate a willingness to champion a massive assault on poverty and underdevelopment in the North. In this regard, most political office holders from the North are hereby served notice that they have failed the test to lead the region towards economic recovery and growth.

ASSERTS the rights of all Northerners to examine all options in political choices they will make in 2019. The leadership selection process must be critically interrogated to present the best leader to Nigeria as a whole. No one should take the North for granted, and it is not for sale. It will resist shedding its blood for any candidate, and will critically scrutinize all politicians who will seek our mandate. At this stage, all options are on the table, and politicians who have betrayed the hopes and mandates of our people should be prepared to suffer rejection, in the same manner the votes of the North rejected the attempt to continue with impunity, corruption and indifference of the previous regime.

ADVISES all Northerners to be alert to plans to weaken the region through the manipulation of our fears and vulnerability and our ethno-religious differences. There must be vigilant scrutiny of opportunities for manipulation by outsiders of our present challenges. We must stand up and unite against those who kill villagers in Kogi, in Zamfara, in Benue, in Adamawa, in Borno, in Kaduna, in Taraba and in every village or town. No Northern blood is more precious than others, and we can only heal if we adopt common positions to finding solutions to our problems.

INVITES attention of the rest of Nigeria that the North knows its interests and place and will defend them in the context of Nigeria. Our people are willing and eager to put our union as a nation on the table and discuss with other Nigerians the relative values of ALL options and negotiate them with responsibility and respect.

CAUTIONS the Presidency and members of the National Assembly and Governors to resist the temptation to abuse the political process in pursuit of their personal ambitions.

COMMITS to sustaining the strong interests behind this Summit through other activities and actions which will strengthen Northern unity and prepare it to extract the maximum benefits from the 2019 elections.

The Summit welcomes the release of the Dapchi girls, and urges the government to intensify efforts to secure the release of all other abducted Nigerians. It calls on the government to ensure that no abductions occur again, and all communities are sufficiently protected and young Nigerians are free to acquire education without fear.

Kaduna

24th March, 2018

Signed

Professor Ango Abdullahi, CON (Chairman ACF Political Committee and Convener, Northern Elders Forum)
Dr. Yima Sen (Northern Elders Forum, NEF)
Amb. Ibrahim Mai Sule (Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF)
Engr. Bello Suleiman (CODE Group)
Mataimaki Tom Maiyashi (Arewa Research Development Project, ARDP)
Zannah Hassan Boguma (Borno Elders Forum)
Nafiu Baba-Ahmed (Supreme Council for Shariah in Nigeria)
Dr. Ibrahim Yakubu Lame (Northern Union)
Yerima Shettima (Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF)
Alh. Mohammed Bello Kirfi, CON (North East Forum for Unity and Development)
Pastor Aminchi Habu (United Christian Leaders Eagle Eye Forum (UCLEEF)
Balarabe Rufai (Coalition of Northern Groups)
Isa Tijjani (Labour Veterans Association)
Rev. Bitrus Dangiwa (CAN Northern Chapter)
Umar Ahmed Zaria (Jama’atu Nasiril Islam (JNI)
Alh. Buba Adamah (Arewa People Unity Association)
Bilkisu Oniyang (Arewa Initiative For Good Governance)
Abdul-Azeez Suleiman (Northern Emancipation Network)


https://diasporareporters.com/marathon-meeting-northern-elders-fail-endorse-buhari-2019/

This is a good news. I'm on my way to the church and because of this good news I will double my offering

Those dead brain fools from southwest that would rather throw their common senses to the dogs just to promote Buhari, hope you can see that his own people are even doubting him?

When wilt thou wake up from being stupid, oh thee Yoruba muslims

These people are the problem with the north and Nigeria at large. They are not interested in anything else other than how they shall continue being in power.

For us to know you guys mean business, kindly vote Buhari and APC out shikena.

We will not accept Buhari , EL Rufai, Kwankwaso or Sule Lamido as presidential candidates from the North ...I would prefer the North look up to Shehu Sani or Atiku Abubakar

Candidates are invited for SCA (Supply Chain Academy, Coca-Cola) technical training program .
-
HND or 2-2 degree and below?
No first class or 2-1 please

Details here:
A 1year in house full training on operations, electro-mechanical and utilities areas.
50k stipend to be paid to each trainee.

Daily lunch provided
Medicals provided
Uniforms provided

Help somebody if you can but not more than 28years old.
CV sent to joseph.opeola@cchellenic.com
Note: discipline (Engineering) - Mechanical, Electrical/Electronics, or any other related courses.
Thanks

Clueless lot

They had to hold meeting to know that the president has failed.

And some fools up there believed this sh!t




Buhari is our only candidate no one can compete with him

PMB is our PUTIN


PMB till 2023

[s]

fk002:
And some fools up there believed this sh!t




Buhari is our only candidate no one can compete with him

PMB is our PUTIN


PMB till 2023

[/s]


Do you mean as President of Sambisa Republic?

BlowBack:
[s][/s]


Do you mean as President of Sambisa Republic?

Take your pick young Man

FarahAideed:
We will not accept Buhari , EL Rufai, Kwankwaso or Sule Lamido as presidential candidates from the North ...I would prefer the North look up to Shehu Sani or Atiku Abubakar

Atiku is no different from those other guys you rejected. Shehu Sani however is a genuine Guy and I also fancy Dankwambo of Gombe

Hehehe! Buhari nah bad market wey nobody wan even see talkless of touching.

FarahAideed:
I would prefer the North look up to Shehu Sani or Atiku Abubakar

you mean Atiku chameleon?.

The know power is leaving the North with him.

fk002:
And some fools up there believed this sh!t




Buhari is our only candidate no one can compete with him

PMB is our PUTIN


PMB till 2023

I'm happy for one thing: Your Buhari's fall is now so certain!

Buhari's failure stinks so bad his dear kinsmen that brought him to power are now ashamed of him.

Lolz.
They have realized 'sai baba' on empty stomach will not buy them goods at a cheaper price in the market.

dodelight:


I'm happy for one thing: Your Buhari's fall is now so certain!

Stop deceiving yourself

Mtcheewww!
He doesn't need dia rubbish,weak,inconsequential endorsement,The nairaland zombie elders council have endorsed him already.

Wiseandtrue:
who will endorse failure

Sarki,yeske,yarimo ad co

fk002:
And some fools up there believed this sh!t




Buhari is our only candidate no one can compete with him

PMB is our PUTIN


PMB till 2023

People like you are the real enemies of the country
Supporting evil on the alter of religious and ethnic sentiments... Even the northern elders themselves have a great reservation for the dullard... But here you are defending mediocrity and embarrassing yourself...

If someone calls you zombie now
It will sound like an insult

Paperwhite:
Hehehe! Buhari nah bad market wey nobody wan even see talkless of touching.

Nna men the guy na bad pLodukt,a symbol of badluck.

Since everything was about the north and how they want to progress I was disappointed when I got to the bottom of the communique and I didn't see where they wanted Arewa republic. I was hoping they would want a space without the south.

Did you see the greedy parasites say anything that would improve the well being of their HOST, the south, who provides for them, so they could live?

FarahAideed:
We will not accept Buhari , EL Rufai, Kwankwaso or Sule Lamido as presidential candidates from the North ...I would prefer the North look up to Shehu Sani or Atiku Abubakar

why must it be only Fulani considered? if it must be the DAVID MARK or JONAH JANG for a change let us have the middle belt.

dodelight:
Buhari's failure stinks so bad his dear kinsmen that brought him to power are now ashamed of him.

He stinks like a skunk,His body odor brings bad luck..At times i wonder what people expect from that religious fanatic,clueless,bitter, malnourished looking president.

diasporaman:
This is a good news. I'm on my way to the church and because of this good news I will double my offering

bros they should just allow Buhari rule... So that next will be a Southerner. Any Northerner that will displace Buhari will make it 12 years rule for the North... What if that northerner is no different from Buhari? This people don't know how to rule but they want to be in power.

It is like removing Buhari and reinstating him again. So why make it 12 years instead of 8 year of a Buhari?

The need for visionary leadership cannot be overemphasized. We need more than a replacement from the north. Rather, we need those that can take us out of this penury not just an average half baked vegetative individuals that doesn't know how things are done.

Too long to read...
I'm in the toilet

ZombieTAMER:


People like you are the real enemies of the country
Supporting evil on the alter of religious and ethnic sentiments... Even the northern elders themselves have a great reservation for the dullard... But here you are defending mediocrity and embarrassing yourself...

If someone calls you zombie now
It will sound like an insult

Call me names i don't care

ZorGBUooeh:

He stinks like a skunk,His body odor brings bad luck..At times i wonder what people expect from that religious fanatic,clueless,bitter, malnourished looking president.

Those are the names I called in build up to 2015 elections and a particular friend was somewhat mad at me, now the same guy can't find his voice.