The Coalition of Northern organisations’ support of Sen. Godswill Akpabio for Senate President has been denounced by the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF).
This was said in a statement made on Sunday in Abuja by Alhaji Musa Saidu, an ACF member.
Endorsing Akpabio for the Senate Presidency, according to Saidu, the head of the Arewa Community in Southern Nigeria, would be fatal for Northern Nigeria.
“We now distance ourselves from the support given to Sen. Godswill Akpabio by a collection of Northern organisations for the Senate Presidency.
“The Coalition is speaking just for itself, not for the North.
“Akpabio is not friendly with the North; hence no authentic Northern faction will want to support him for a delicate post like Senate President.
We are the ones who are familiar with Akpabio because we live in the South; we are aware of individuals who get along well with Northerners, and Akpabio is not one of them, he claimed.
The coalition must have made the endorsement out of ignorance, Saidu continued.
“Because the endorsement was made entirely out of ignorance, I wish to criticise it. It’s also plausible that the organisations received some reward for supporting Akpabio.
“I want to clarify that the people of the North are not beggars who would support those who are not favourable towards them due to enticement,” he stated.
According to Saidu, the ACF will keep fighting for the right to speak out against injustice in the nation.
“When we have capable hands in the North, why should the All Progressives Congress (APC) be intent on allocating the 10th Senate Presidency to the South?
“Why not consider someone from the region? The North-West awarded the APC the most votes in the presidential election on February 25.
Instead of starting to hunt for someone from the South to be Senate President, he added, “I think it’s time for the party to reward the zone for the tremendous votes.”
A coalition of northern organisations has backed Akpabio for Senate President, claiming he was the most qualified candidate.
