The presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) for the 2023 presidential election, Rabi’u Kwankwaso, has cautioned the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation (SABMF) and three others against endorsing any presidential candidate in the name of the North, saying such endorsement under any guise will rather polarise than unite the region.
This is even as he said he would not be available for the interactive session with the six selected presidential candidates organised by the Arewa Joint Committee made up of the ACF, NEF, SABMF, Jamiyyar Matan Arewa (JMA) Arewa House (Centre for Historical Development and Research) and Arewa Research and Documentation Project (ARDP).
LEADERSHIP reports that the Arewa Joint Committee engaged Atiku Abubakar of the PDP, Kola Abiola of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and Prince Adewale Adebayo of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) on Saturday.
Similarly, they were billed to engage with Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC), Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) and Senator Kwankwaso of the NNPP today before Kwankwaso declined attendance.
Kwankwaso, in a reply to the Arewa joint committee, through the spokesperson of his presidential campaign, Hon. Abdulmumuni Jibrin, commended the committee for the invitation extended to him but stressed that he would not be able to attend because of lined-up activities which coincide with the date scheduled for the engagement.
The reply to the committee, signed by the campaign spokesperson, reads in parts: “We write to acknowledge and appreciate the Arewa Joint Committee for invitingour presidential candidate to participate in what you called Special Interactive Session.
“Noting that the interaction is intended to get a feel of the candidates’ plan for the North, we wish to inform you that our campaign has lined up a number of activities that have coincided with the date that you have selected for us.
“Moreso, our technical team is still making the final touches on our blueprint, as such, we will be unable to present to you the final policy proposals that will guide our candidate’s presidency when, eventually, he is elected the president of Nigeria.
“It is however imperative to draw your attention to the fact that no one is more conversant with the challenges facing the North than H.E. Engr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.” Such challenges of insecurity, collapse of education, massive infrastructure deficits, collapse of healthcare services, mechanisation of agriculture and animal husbandry, youth unemployment, challenges of drug abuse and other truant behaviours are all comprehensively addressed in our policy proposals.
“We wish to emphasise to you that our candidate will govern our country fairly and justly and will ensure that no region is discriminated against and all regions will be treated fairly. Added to the above, we have credible information in our possession that shows that some people have been compromised and these people have concluded plans to turn the event into an endorsement platform for a particular candidate.
