By Joseph Edegbo
Contrary to reports that the Coalition of Northern Groups had asked certain aspirants to shelve their ambition towards 2019 Presidency, the group says at no time did such issue come up for deliberation during their two – day summit
The Coalition was reacting to reports in some national dailies said to have emanated from a Communique issued after its two-day summit in Kaduna, Northwest Nigeria.
A statement by the Spokesman for the groups, Abdul – Azeez Suleiman said while they do not want to believe that the misrepresentations, though very fundamental, were maliciously made, they nevertheless owe the public a duty to straighten the records.
” At the end of our two-day summit at Arewa House, Kaduna, a five-page communiqué was read by our spokesperson, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, in which we categorically stated that the North fully supports the restructuring of the country and shall be prepared to represent itself in any debate thereon.
“Our Coalition said the North supported structural reforms, with certain conditions. One of the terms was that those who will carry the banner to any future discussion with regards to Nigerian federal arrangement should be within the 18 to 60 years bracket.
“We said this out of a patriotic conviction that the older men who have been speaking and running the country since independence should cease to take the front seats at such national discourse.
“The Coalition was however quite surprised by some reports by a section of the media tending to suggest that we have asked certain aspirants to the 2019 presidency to shelve their ambition.
“We wish to respond here, that at no time did the individual aspiration of any politician ever came up at our two-day Summit nor was it mentioned anywhere in the communiqué we read.
“Our Summit and subsequent communiqué essentially concentrated on the issue of restructuring. Nowhere, and at no time, did we discuss such matters as the 2019 presidency.
“The Summit was sequel to calls from several quarters in the last six months asking for our position on the issue of restructuring.
In answer to those calls, we mandated a committee to sample the pulse of northern Nigeria in that respect.
“The committee, after contacting stakeholders across all shades of interest in the North, reported that the North favours restructuring of the country.
“Consequently, we called for the Summit at which participants unanimously confirmed North’s support for total and holistic structural reform.
“A communiqué was issued to that effect, devoid of the slightest hint at partisanship or 2019 elections, nor did we discuss the individual aspiration of any politician.
Having said this, we finally caution in media practitioners in the country to stick to the professional ethics of accurate reporting of events and avoid unnecessary sensational overkill.”
https://www.africaprimenews.com/2018/03/24/governance/nigeria-southern-middle-belt-leaders-restate-demand-for-restructuring/