Buhari Rebuffs Emirs
• Says it’s not a ‘Northern affair’ • May boycott ANPP NEC meeting today
By Ali M.Ali in Lagos, George Oji in Kaduna and Oke Epia in Abuja, 07.04.2007


The All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) presidential candidate in the April elections, Maj. Gen. Muhammad Buhari (rtd), will pursue his election petition to the end, irrespective of efforts by Northern emirs and Islamic clerics to stave off the legal action.
This is even as signals emerged that the crisis of confidence in the party over the decision of its leadership to participate in the proposed Government of National Unity may have taken a further dimension. There were indications last night that Buhari may not attend today's National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting.
Buhari, who spoke to THISDAY yesterday through his Special Assistant, Ya’u Darazo, was reacting to reports that the Northern religious leaders and traditional rulers had resolved to dissuade Buhari and the Action Congress (AC) presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, from pursuing their election petitions at the tribunal.

[b]According to Darazo, the former military head of state said he did not run for the presidential election as a Northern candidate and, therefore, has no reason to bow to Northern leaders.
“The General is very emphatic that it is not a regional issue,” Darazo said. “It is a question of election irregularities and legitimacy. He will not bow to any pressure.”
He wondered why it would now be reduced to a Northern affair. “In 2003 when Gen. Buhari filed a petition against the then president after the presidential election, he did so because he believed that was the right thing to do. It did not matter to him that Obasanjo was a Southerner. No Northern elder tried to dissuade him then. Why now?” he asked.
Northern emirs and Islamic clerics had on Monday intensified moves for rapprochement between President Yar’adua and his political rivals from the North in an attempt to dissuade them from pursuing their election petitions. They were worried that peace had remained elusive to the region even after political power had shifted to it because of the outcome of the last presidential election.
Darazo quoted Buhari as saying: “The issue is not about me. Many Nigerians toiled for the elections. So many people lost their lives. Some were brutalised and maimed because of their convictions. How can I now abandon them because of Northern leaders? This is not a regional issue.”[/b]Buhari’s stand may also affect his decision whether or not to attend today’s NEC meeting of the party. Although the letter of invitation to the meeting was said not to have any agenda listed, an official of the ANPP informed that the meeting will deliberate and possibly take a position on its participation in the proposed government of national unity. [/b]

While the party has already reached an understanding with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on the government of national unity, Buhari has consistently rejected the idea of any talks with the ruling party, vowing to pursue his election petition at the tribunal. His running mate and national chairman of the party, Chief Edwin Ume-Ezeoke, has since welcomed the carrot from the PDP.
Speaking with THISDAY on telephone last night, Osita Okechukwu, vice chairman of the publicity committee of the Buhari presidential campaign organisation, said Buhari will not attend today's NEC meeting so as not to "legitimise an illegality."
He said the meeting which ought to have been called before ANPP entered into the government of national unity talks was now being summoned after a communiqué had been signed with the PDP, saying "they are closing the stables after the horse has left."
According to him, Buhari will not attend the meeting because the letter to the Director-General of the campaign organisation did not bear any agenda and that attending it would amount to legitimising the agreements already entered with PDP.
But the ANPP has explained that the major reason for the party's participation in the proposed government of national unity was to assist in bringing about progress for the country and Nigerians. Speaking in the Hausa service of the British Broadcasting Service (BBC) monitored in Kaduna yesterday, National Secretary of ANPP, Senator Saidu Umar Kumo, dismissed Buhari's allegation that he was not consulted before the talks as baseless.
Buhari had at the weekend in an interview with the Hausa Service of Radio Deutchewelle in Bonn, Germany kicked against the participation of the party in the proposed Government of National Unity, accusing some members of the party of pursing selfish interest and personal aggrandisement.
But speaking yesterday, Kumo said, “We laid down our conditions for the interest of the country; a situation where all of us will join hands to help in the government of Yar’Adua and the entire people of Nigeria, where they have found themselves”.
Kumo further explained that withdrawing the court cases instituted by Buhari against President Yar’Adua was not one of the conditions tabled before the government before their participation in the proposed government of national unity.
Asked if the court case was likely to be withdrawn by the ANPP, Kumo said the issue of withdrawal never came up in any of their meetings with the government. Responding to another question as to whether his answer implied that the court case against the president will continue, the ANPP National Secretary’s reply was in the positive.
“We will continue with the case until when it is decided that the case should be withdrawn. It is also left for the individual candidates to pursue their cases in court. But the party has a stand in relation to moving the country forward,” he said.
Contrary to Gen. Buhari’s accusation of unconstitutional moves before the participation of the ANPP in the proposed government of national unity, Kumo explained that what transpired before the decision to participate was arrived at, saying all their moves were constitutional.
For instance, he said, “we met with all the elders of the party, including our governors. All those who are supposed to be in the caucus, according to the party’s constitution attended the meeting.
“We met and discussed extensively and the resolution reached was that we were satisfied with what the leaders of the party did by accepting the invitation by President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua to form a Government of National Unity for the progress of our people according to the conditions we laid down”, the national secretary of ANPP said.
Kumo submitted that the acceptance of ministerial portfolio by members of the party was with the proviso that only credible members of the party should be considered, adding “we have given the leaders the permission to accept the posts given to them”.
On whether Buhari attended the meeting where the decision was taken to participate in the government of National Unity, he said Buhari was absent.
“He did not attend the meeting. We got a letter of excuse that he would be absent from the leader of his campaign, Alhaji Sule Hamma, that he and Gen. Buhari would not be able to attend the meeting because they have pressing problems that coincide with the time of the meeting. Therefore, they wished us well”, Kumo pointed out. The National Secretary however said the NEC of the party will meet today and that the issues would be tabled before arriving at the final decision

http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=82720

unity in the north cant be underestimated, their homogenity makes it easier

Make una leave matter for Matthias! Dem go settle am!

What I don't understand is the title of this thread. Where is the Northern tribalism in the story?