2011: NORTHERN LEADERS STILL LIVE IN THE PAST, SAYS ACF CHIEFTAIN

The Secretary of the Political Committee of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Alhaji AbdulRahman Mohammed has described the claims by some northern leaders that the zone could win the next presidential election with or without the cooperation of other geo-political zones as not only eccentric but inconsistent with the realities of current political happenings.

Speaking with newsmen in Kaduna yesterday, he said those claiming to be speaking for the north on the issue of the 2011 presidential elections 'have expired on the political shelf,' adding that they still live in the past.

While insisting that they should give way for younger northerners to take over from them, the ACF chieftain further warned politicians from the North Central zone who had been used and dumped in the past by those who regard themselves as core northerners to learn their lessons by avoiding the same mistakes they made in the past by supporting the core northerners to lord it over them.

'I am sure that they are now calling all of us northerners because this is an election year.As far as we are concerned, when there is leadership opportunity for the north, it is the Northwest and North East that will scramble for it; the north central is not involved because we are not core northerners.

'Whenever you see them zone any position to the North Central, it is because those who will benefit have compromised to serve them and their children or it is a situation whereby such a person in the North Central has performed 10 times better than individuals from the northern establishment areas.

'But, I can tell you that President Goodluck Jonathan has nothing to fear if he wants to contest the 2011 election because, the shelf life of most of the great actors in the northern establishment has expired.

'The issue of core north or no core north will cease if these elders cede power to the youth.

'It is my belief that Generals Ibrahim Babangida, Muhammadu Buhari, Mohammed Aliyu Gusau and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar will fail.

'About 99 percent of these old politicians are leaning heavily on the political and economic values of Nigeria and this is creating overweight for the country. Most of them have taken so much from the system but have not given back to the system.

'It is the frustrations and dislocations created by this phenomenon that is stunting the growth of the country and has brought about the emergence of the Niger Delta militants and other freedom fighters like MASSOB in the Southeast, OPC in the Southwest and the BOKOHARAM in the north.

'A Jonathan Presidency is about equal opportunities in the Nigerian collective. We must find permanent solutions to agitations for resource control, sovereign national conference and only political commonsense can help us resolve the issues,' he said.