Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has rebuked some Northerners who are drumming support for the realization of President Goodluck Jonathan’s 2015 presidential bid. The Forum’s displeasure was contained in a statement issued in Kaduna by its chairman Aliko Mohammed.
Recently, General Lawrence Onoja (ret.) and Senator John Wash Pam, members of ACF and the Northern Elders Forum respectively, were part of a delegation that met President Jonathan and some politicians from the Niger Delta to declare support for Mr. Jonathan’s second term ambition.
The ACF statement said, “It is very sad that the Presidency has employed the divide-and-rule against the North. It is very glaring because we noticed with dismay that some members of this organization have gone to the President and assured him that he must contest for 2015 election. We are really surprised that some members that went there are also members of ACF. I am speaking particularly of two gentlemen; the two gentlemen I am referring to, one is ACF and the other is of Northern Elders Forum. The ACF is retired General Lawrence Onoja. He was actually part of the group that went to see the President. Also, one of the elders, Senator John Wash Pam, was there.
Mr. Mohammed expressed particular surprise that Mr. Onoja was part of the group championing Mr. Jonathan’s political future. “We went to Maiduguri together when we went to see Dr. Ahmed Datti, and Onoja was with us,” said ACF’s leader.
He added that Onoja “also made it possible for us when we went to Maiduguri to meet the leaders of the JTF. And we had a long discussion till the early hours because the military had a problem with the people and we thought that if we intervened, things would be better. We have gone with Onoja to every meeting we have held, and for him to turn round to say the President must contest in 2015, using the word, must, is a surprise.”
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