ACF boss accuses Northern elders of betrayal

By Luka Binniyat
KADUNA-The National Chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF,
Alhaji Mohammed Aliko has accused some members of both the ACF and the
Northern Elders Council, NEC, of betraying the north by endorsing
President Goodluck Jonathan for a second term in office, contrary to
the north's position that it was their turn to rule the country in
2015.
Aliko spoke in Kaduna yesterday during the opening ceremony of
ACF'sannual general meeting.
According to Aliko, some ACF and NEC members have betrayed the North
by meeting President Jonathan and affirming their support for him for
the 2015 general elections and decried the ongoing political campaign
aheadthe elections, saying it was affecting the quality of governance
in the country.
He said: "It is very sad that the Presidency has employed the divide
and rule tactics against the North. It is very glaring, because we
noticed withdismay that some members of this organisation have gone to
the President and assured him that he must contest for 2015 election.
"We are really surprised that some northerners that went there are
also members of ACF. I am speaking particularly of two gentlemen. The
two gentlemen I am referring to, one is a member of the ACF and the
other is of the Northern Elders' Council. The ACF member is General
Lawrence Onoja, rtd. He was actually part of the group that went to
see the President (with elders of the South-South). Also,one of the
Northern Elders Forum, is Senator John Wash Pam. He was there.
"We are surprised that they have really gone to see the President. We
are particularly sad because General Onoja is here with us in ACF. We
went to Maiduguri together when we went to see Dr. Ahmed Datti, (the
President, Supreme Council of Sharia in Nigeria, SCSN) and Onoja was
with us.
"He (Onoja), also made it possible for us when we went to Maiduguri to
meet the leaders of the Joint Task Force, JTF, and we had a long
discussion with them till the early hours of the morning. The military
had problems with the Maiduguri people and we thought that if we
intervened, things would be better.
"That is not all, we have gone with Onoja to every meeting we have
heldand he knows what the North wants. Now for him to turn round to
say the President must contest in 2015, using the word, must, is very
sad for us in ACF.''
Commenting further, he said: "It is theconsidered view of the ACF that
starting politics of 2015 two years earlier is counterproductive,
since apart from heating up the polity, such early start can distract
governance, more so that INEC is yet to give the green light for
political activities to begin."