The Northern Elders under the umbrella of the Arewa Joint Committee (AJC) who marshaled the most recent Presidential dialogue with candidates of the coming Presidential Elections said that they have no intention of certifying any of the candidates of the 2023 elections. This was said in a press conference that was held at the headquarters of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF).
He said, “We have maintained that the six groups behind the interactions (Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) Northern Elders Forum (NEF, Jamiyar Matan Arewa(JMA) Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation(ABMF), Arewa Research and Documentation Project (ARDP) and Arewa House Centre for Historical Research and Documentation all played one role or the other towards the success of the event.
“While, for instance, the Arewa centre for Historical Research provided the venue, the Arewa Research, provided us with the papers and other relevant documents, ACF, NEF, and Ahmadu Bello foundation took care of other finances while Jamiyar Matan Arewa provided us with the entertainment and reception.
However, the group was grateful for the success of the discussions, they said, “Between Saturday 15th and yesterday Monday 17th, we hosted five of the six candidates who had accepted to participate in the historic interactions. One candidate chose not to participate.
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” We are grateful to the candidates who honoured our invitation and who showed respect to public opinion and the Nigerian voter by submitting themselves to the most intimate scrutiny by Northern elders and other groups, the media and the public.
The AJC said “these interactions, the first of their type in the history of our country, have been a tremendous success.
“First, they demonstrated the strong bonds of unity of the people of the North, represented by the collaborating groups, and our unquestioning commitment to the search for the best quality of leadership out of the many candidates who want our support.
“Second, they showed a commendable level of respect for the democratic process by the candidates who submitted to the process.
“Third, they afforded Nigerians a rare opportunity to see and hear candidates speak about their plans and vision.
“Four, they helped to focus attention on the peculiar and shared problems and challenges of the North and scrutinize the levels of understanding and sympathy for them among the candidates.
“Finally, they raised the bar in our search for leadership that respects accountability and competence.
