EXCLUSIVE: Northern Elders Plot Buhari’s Replacement

BY SIMON REEF MUSA, ABUJA – As drumbeats of 2019 get louder, the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), led by former Vice Chancellor of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Professor Ango Abdullahi, is working for the emergence of a rainbow coalition candidate bereft of acrimony from opposition politicians that will wrest power from President Muhammadu Buhari.
The major work for the elders, according to a source close to the group, will commence after the outcome of the presidential primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that has the potential of creating an implosion and giving the All Progressives Congress (APC) an opportunity to harvest disgruntled elements.
“The elders are aware that the outcome of the PDP presidential primaries may throw up a lot of challenges that, if not properly managed, may lead to its destruction. While the challenge now is to appeal to all aspirants to adopt a sportsmanship disposition after the primaries, the elders are also working behind the scene to cut down the number of the aspirants.
“The decision of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, to decline from the presidential contest is due to the wisdom of the elders. Others may follow in the footsteps of the Senate President in the weeks ahead to reduce rancour,” the source added.
Forefront reliably gathered that the rejection of Buhari by the elders for the 2019 contest is hinged on the alarming level of poverty in the country and seizure of government machinery by a few members of the kitchen cabinet. Our correspondent learnt that the decision to work towards a candidate that enjoys the support of opposition parties has already been welcomed by the former Nigerian leaders.
However, former President Olusegun Obasanjo has thrown a spanner in the works when he declared that he would not support PDP in the event his former deputy, Atiku Abubakar, emerges as the presidential candidate. On how this resolve by Obasanjo will be managed in the days ahead, the source quickly added, “When we get to the bridge we shall cross it.”
Another official who pleaded not to be identified disclosed that already, though the Professor Ango Abdullahi-led group has urged Northern Minorities to harp less on issues that divide Arewa and work in harmony towards the adoption of a formidable presidential Northern candidate, the Middle Belt Forum President, led by Dr Bitrus Porgu, has made it clear that minorities are no longer willing to surrender their rights and play the second fiddle.
“A lot of grounds have been cleared in the efforts to work out for a consensus presidential candidate. The idea is to allow all parties to produce their candidates and then work towards the adoption of one of the presidential candidates on any of the party platforms, particularly the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). But, it depends how things fan out in the coming months.
“The level of impoverishment brought upon the country by the Buhari administration is leading the drive for a consensus candidate. It is now clear that with over N13 trillion taken as loans by the APC-led Federal Government in the last three years, the country is going down the slippery slope of self-destruction,” a top source involved in the various meetings confided in our correspondent.
The Middle Belt, according to the source, has come out strongly to state that as a region it would not fold its arms and watch the incessant destruction of lives and properties, with the Federal Government not doing enough to stem the culture of bloodshed that has assumed a frightening scale of genocide by marauding herdsmen.
In a bid to avoid rancour among the presidential aspirants, the various groups in the consensus have agreed that the use of foul language by aspirants be avoided, while each of the aspirants should concentrate in explaining their programmes to Nigerians.
“Because it is clear that most of these aspirants are in the know that consensus candidacy may rule at the end of the day, some of them are not willing to waste time and resources in other parties. PDP for now seems to be the platform u[on which the consensus candidacy will emerge.
“The politicians are also aware that it is only a formidable candidate that enjoys the unity of a rainbow coalition that can unseat the APC Government. Anything short of that will not work. As some people have said, the 2019 elections is crucial. We are aware that the APC has not left any stone unturned to rig the polls. The Ekiti poll has shown us an example of what to expect in 2019. If APC must be defeated, then, we need to ensure a rainbow coalition to save the country from the maladministration of the current government,” the source added.
Asked if some names have been considered by the elders as possible leading names for the consensus arrangement, the source said, “Four names have come up due to their rating in the PDP, and they are Atiku Abubakar, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Aminu Tambuwal and Mohammed Ahmed Makarfi”.