Imported User:
Gov. Babangida Aliyu of Niger on Tuesday chided those campaigning for the 2015 elections, describing such campaigns as ``bad.''
Aliyu said this at a lecture entitled: ``Nigeria’s Unity and Regional Socio-Political Groups: Influence and Impact of the Northern States Governors Forum’’ delivered at Chatham House in London.
``Campaigning or discussing 2015 now is bad; Let all the levels of government deliver services to the people first,’’ the Europe Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quotes Aliyuas saying.
He added: ``If by 2015 or middle of 2013 or 2014 you start discussing who should be President or not; then you will be right.’’
Aliyu, who refuted the allegation that the Forum would not support a non-Northerner when the time was ripe, said there would be no division as to who to support.
``When the time is ripe, there will be no division so that when we come out, it will be in support of one person;
``If anybody says that the Forum will only support a Northerner, it is not true,’’ the governor stressed.
He reiterated that the forum would continue to explore the country’s diversity for strength, unity and peaceful co-existence.
Aliyu, who also reiterated the Forum’s position of not being in support of a Sovereign National Conference (SNC), said the forum did not believe in the break-up of Nigeria.
``Our argument is, you cannot have two sovereigns in one place. We have a National Assembly and a provision in our constitution on how to amend the constitution.
``Whatever needs to be done should be within the sovereignty that we have at the moment,’’ he said.
Aliyu, who also expressed concern over the high-level of corruption in the country, said there was the need to draft good people to contest leadership positions.
