Presidency: Arewa Youths Attack Northern Governors For Opposing Lawan as Consensus Candidate

A regional group, Arewa Youth Peace Initiative, has faulted Northern governors of the All Progressives Congress for opposing the consensus candidature of the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan as the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential flag bearer

The APC Northern Governors Forum had backed the South to produce the next president of Nigeria, thereby rejecting the consensus arrangement that produced the Senate President Ahmed Lawan as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Members of the NGF include Governors Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna state, Sule Abdullahi of Nasarawa State, Babagana Zulum of Borno, Masari of Katsina, Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano, Solomon Lalong of Plateau, Abubakar Bello of Niger, Muhammad Inuwa of Gombe, Bello Matawalle of Zamfara, Abubakar Bagudu of Kebbi and former Governor of Sokoto, Aliyu Wamako.

National Coordinator of the group, Comrade Yakubu Arigu Muhd declared that people in the North have rejected the decision of the governors for betraying the north.

In a statement issued on Monday, Muhd accused the governors of conspiring against the Senate President for their selfish interests.

He said, “It has come to our notice the desperate activities of some Northern governors who, because of their selfish interests to emerge as Vice President, have decided to pressure President Muhammadu Buhari to endorse a Southern presidential candidate for the APC instead of the Senate President Ahmad Lawan. This is a directahm assault against Northern interests and these governors must be stopped fast.

“After power has been in the South that produced president for 14 years and Vice President for 11 years which is cumulatively 25 years. It is not only unjust but also unjustifiable that our governors will be conspiring against the North to lose power after only 8 years of the Buhari presidency.”

According to him, the governors have ganged up against the emergence of the Senate President as the consensus candidate of the party.

While disclosing that the North disowns their bad intentions, he vowed the coalition and its supporters across the region shall resist them.

“The only thing is that we advise the governors allegedly involved in this evil plot to desist immediately. The president must not only ignore them but refuse to be confused by these betrayers of the North.

“The eleven Northern Governors have betrayed the North for their selfish interests. We condemn their actions in the strongest possible terms and once again we urge the president to ignore them completely.

“This is not a mere allegation. The statement made by these eleven betrayers of Northern interests in this respect is in the public domain as released and signed by them today recommending to the president that the search for his successor be limited to the South. This is undemocratic and injurious to the interests of the North and must not be allowed to stand,” he stated.