Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) rejects Goodluck Jonathan’s candidature for 2015

Barely a week after some leaders from the South South and North Central Nigeria visited President Goodluck Jonathan, endorsing him for 2015 presidency, the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) on Thursday distanced itself from the action and accused the President of adopting a divide-and-rule tactics against the North in order to realise his ambition.

Apparently referring to General Lawrence Onoja (rtd) and Senator John Pam who are key members of the forum that were part of the delegation that visited President Jonathan, the ACF at its annual general meeting in Kaduna stated categorically that the presidency must return to the North in 2015. They, therefore, urged President Jonathan to shelve his ambition.


The forum considered the endorsement of President Jonathan as too early and capable of disrupting governance and heating up the polity, especially because the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is yet to give permission for political campaigns.

Apart from demanding that the North should produce the next president in 2015, the ACF also wants INEC to conduct all elections in one day.

This method, it noted, has succeeded in lesser economies like Kenya and if adopted for the next election in Nigeria, will go a long way to reduce electoral malpractice.

Determined to return power to the North, the forum is also making frantic efforts to reconcile the Northern States Governors’ Forum.
 
The 19 northern states are currently engaged in bitter battles over the fallout of the election of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) held in Abuja on May 24.