The Progressive Northern Elements, a group, has backed the Minister of State for Defense, Alhaji Bello Mohammed Matawalle, in faulting Northern Elders Forum(NEF) over its remarks on President Bola Ahmad Tinubu, insisting that it’s too early to fault the President.
The Northern Elders Forum was accused of saying it regretted supporting President Bola Tinubu in the 2023 general election and will not support him in 2027 if he decides to contest.
While reacting to the comment, the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle had described NEF as political burden on the North.
However, the Progressive Northern Elements in a statement signed by the Chairman, Alhaji Ibrahim Mohammed Modibbo ,said it’s too early for Northern Elders Forum to start finding fault lines in a President it supported to win election .
According to the group, “the President is doing well in our estimation and there is no reason for this attack from NEF.”
The statement further reads :”Rather than stirring up unnecessary tension and over heating the polity without recourse to the sustained efforts to make Nigeria, especially the north ,a more economically vibrant region ,we expect the north to rally round President Tinubu led administration to succeed .
“We have noticed Tinubu’s sincerity and commitment to tackling the prolonged security challenges facing the north and frantic efforts towards revamping the economy the entire country .So,we were worried to hear our northern elders speaking too early when former President of northern extraction, exhausted 8 years in office with several unresolved challenges ranging from severe insecurity, high unemployment , collapse of agriculture activities due to banditry, and bad economy, yet the voice of the Northern Elders was not heard.”
“At this point, we have no option than to join Matawalle to say members of NEF lack the authority to speak for the entire region as they have become political burden to Northerners…We vow that any destructive journey that will bring the North to disrepute by NEF for personal and selfish gains will be met with stiff resistance.”
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“The Northern Elders Forum should know that an average northerner is wiser now and can’t be cajoled to fight any southerner in power as President. Our position is clear , we believe in any government or leader that will make the north and every other region better. Nothing less”
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu won the February 2023 presidential election convincingly and has a four-year tenure to execute his campaign promises to Nigerians, until then , he must be allowed to work without distractions,” the group stated.
