•It's waste of time – NEF •No, it is not, says ACF
•We want true federalism, Northern group cries out
By Ishaya Ibrahim (Lagos) and Chinwendu Nnadozie (Minna)
Jonathan and Ango Abdullahi
The two respected socio-cultural organisations in he north; Northern Elders Forum (NEF) and Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) have differed on the merit of President Goodluck Jonathan's proposed National Dialogue. While the NEF is against the confab and described it as a waste of time, the ACF, the Northern Governors Forum and other groups from the region have voiced support for it.
But even as the region's leaders are divided on the subject of the conference, the ACF said there is nothing extraordinary with the decision of its sister body, the NEF, in rejecting the dialogue.
The NEF, through its publicity secretary, Prof. Ango Abdullahi, said it was opposed to the dialogue because several of it were held in the past but all failed to achieve any tangible result. This position of the NEF therefore negates the stance of the ACF, which welcomed it.
Speaking to Sunday Independent in a telephone interview, spokesman for ACF, Anthony Sani said the conflicting position in the North on the proposed national dialogue was normal. "Even in the First Republic, the north has never been politically united," Sani said, arguing that the differences in views in the north only reflect a healthy political balance.
For Sani, that both the NEF and ACF are umbrella bodies representing the northern region does not mean they all should see things in one direction. "What the NEF wants is Sovereign National Conference," he said.
While the NEF would prefer Sovereign National Conference, the ACF is antagonistic of it. But Sani said it would be wrong for anyone to reason that the north is divided simply because of their different views on the proposed National Dialogue.
He said even the South does not have a uniform position on the dialogue. "For example, the South-South Peoples Assembly said they don't want Sovereign National Conference. But the Yoruba said what they want is Sovereign National Conference. It is just differences in political views."
Sani said if people were expecting all the northern groups to agree on a common position on the conference, then it would also be logical to assume that all 41 million registered voters in the north as captured by the 2011 voter registration exercise, would have voted in one direction.
He said even if that happens, it would not make a northerner president against the South's 31 million registered voters since the constitutional requirement for becoming president is that a candidate must get majority votes from 2/3 of the 36 states.
However, a new socio-political group from the north, Arewa Citizens Action for Change (ACAC) has said the group would canvass for the full implementation of the principles of true federalism and granting of autonomy to local governments in the conference.
Niger State Coordinator of the group, Alhaji Mohammed Mohammed made the position of the group known in an interview shortly after his presentation to the Committee on National Dialogue for the north-central zone which took place at the Idris Legbo Kutigi international conference in Minna, the state capital.
Mohammed however argued that true democracy can only be realised if elected leaders and those on appointed positions imbibe the spirit of true democracy contrary to what is obtainable in the country which he said is below the expectations of the citizenry.
"My position and that of the group I represent is that, democracy in true principle should be allowed to thrive in Nigeria," the group leader said as he enjoined the committee to ensure they consider the views of independent groups for representation at the confab rather than ethnic inclinations.
