The Arewa Progressive Forum has condemned the Northern Elders Forum for criticising President Bola Tinubu. It praised Mr Tinubu’s approach to tackling insecurity in the North as being far better than that of his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari.

NEF had claimed to have regretted voting for Mr Tinubu in the 2023 elections, with a threat that the North had learned its lesson over heightened security challenges under the Tinubu-led administration.

The national secretary of the forum, Magaji Danbatta, in a statement on Monday, regretted that the recent outbursts of the NEF did not represent the northern agenda for peace and national unity of the country which is not negotiable.

To Mr Dambatta, it was an error for any group or political association to come out openly and announce their regret over majority decisions.

He said, “The northern elders are derailing from their counseling and advisory role to the government on national issues as it affects the region.”

The group further supported the junior defence minister, Bello Matawalle, over his response to the NEF’s outbursts against Mr Tinubu.

According to Mr Danbatta, the people behind the claim were more interested in personal gains than the unity and survival of Nigeria.

He said, “We wholeheartedly endorse the reactions of the Minister of State Defence, Bello Matawalle to some members of this group. They are not in tune with the current reality in the North.

“Northern elders should be seen as mediators or opinion shapers on national unity, cohesion, and progress without regional bias. This is key because Nigeria’s unity can’t be negotiated on the page of newspapers.

“The same elders that ignored and failed to unite some of our political gladiators that are fighting one another in Kano, Sokoto, Zamfara, and Kaduna States are talking about the region being abandoned to its plights.”

The group challenged NEF on their whereabouts when Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara was attacking his predecessor, Mr Matawalle, over issues that could have been amicably resolved.

Mr Danbatta added, “The same with Umar Ganduje and Rabi’u Kwankwaso or Aliyu Wamakko and Attahiru Bafarawa before going into a fight with Aminu Tambuwal? In Kaduna, there is a brewing misunderstanding between Governor Uba Sani and his predecessor Nasir El-Rufai. All the Northern elders cared about was President Tinubu.

“We are concerned that the northern elders have one of their members as an Adviser on political matters to the Vice-President, Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed.

”He could have facilitated a meeting with who and who in the seat of power to discuss issues affecting the region or the country in general rather than rushing to the press.”

The Arewa group, however, commended the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and Mr Matawalle, whose proactive measures have helped improve security in the North.

“We are of the view that President Tinubu’s approach to the issues of security in the North so far, especially North-West is one of the best compared to his immediate predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari’s approach,” Mr Danbatta said.

(NAN)