During the 2015 general elections, it was a very easy task for Northern elders, youth and the entire electorate to decide who to vote for, as it was between a Northern Muslim candidate, Muhammadu Buhari and a Southern Christian, former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. This time, the 2019 general elections have put Northern elders, youths and others against one another, as President Buhari of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and former vice-president Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are both from the Northern. ABDULRAHMAN ZAKARIYAU takes a look at how the two candidates have divided the region.
Same religion, different regions
It is known that the majority of the people in Northern part of the country are Muslims, and they, in most cases, vote for a preferred Muslim from that part of the country. Interestingly, the two leading candidates for next year’s Presidency, President Muhammadu Buhari of the APC and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar are both Muslims.
Pundits are quick to observe that President Buhari who hails from Katsina state, North-west Nigeria, has the upper hand compared to the Wazirin Adamawa, former vice-president Atiku Abubakar, who is from Adamawa state, North-east. Statistically, of all six geo-political zones, the North-west zone has the highest number of registered voters 18,505,984, while the North is one of the regions with the least number of registered voters, 9,929,015. It is evidently clear that from the voters registered for the 2019 general elections, one candidate is of advantage over another candidate.
Political analysts also note that aside from the population of the region, the two candidates are from the North-west and North-east, and that Atiku appears to more popular only among the northern elite, while President Buhari enjoys a lot of support of the common people in that part of the country.
Promises: Balarabe Musa’s take
The two leading candidates for the 2019 general elections have both promised so many things. Buhari’s plan is to take Nigeria to the Next Level, while Atiku’s plan is to Get Nigeria Working Again. To his people in the North, as observed from the flag-off of the PDP Presidential rally that took place at Sokoto, penultimate Monday, Atiku’s major message is that he will take poverty away from the region. On his part, President Buhari’s major message to Northern Nigeria is that he will bring about adequate and maximum security of lives and property. Certainly, the North needs poverty eradication and maximum security; so they are both campaigning with what the people of that region need.
However, speaking with Blueprint Weekend on what the two illustrious sons of the same region, who seek to lead country have to offer, a former governor of Kaduna state, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, expressed fears over the two candidates and “hope that none of the wins.”
“For the two candidates, President Muhammadu Buhari and Atiku Abubakar, I hope none of them will win, because it will be a tragedy for Nigeria, as there will not be any improvement in all the negative things or state of the nation if any of them wins.
The elder statesman noted that the northern Nigeria and concerned Nigerians are in search of an alternative, saying: “What we are looking for is a third alternative. The third alternative is that which will help to better and improve the situation of the country.”
When asked about the direction of the northern elders, Balarabe said although he is not one of them, his stand and that of some people are for the third alternative, which they are trying to identify.
Arewa youths declare stand
As the 2019 general elections gather momentum, the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku, claimed that he performed well heading the economic team as the vice- president, from 1999 to 2007. While the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, President Buhari also claimed he met the nation’s economy in a shambles, and he has over the years revamped the nation’s economy.
With regard to performance and antecedents of the two leading candidates, the Speaker, Arewa Youth Assembly, Hon. Mohammed Salihu, declared that their support is for the incumbent President, Muhammadu Buhari, of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He said: “Our stand and the stand of the Northern youths in the 19 Northern states is that we are for President Muhammadu Buhari, because we want him to continue with all the good jobs he has been doing for over three years.
“At least, we can see the constructed roads, on-going infrastructure projects; the social investment programme is also helpful. President Muhammadu Buhari is also genuinely fighting corruption; the security situation in the north east has also improved. We have many things working now; that have not been working in the 16 years of PDP rule.”
The speaker also added: “Muhammadu Buhari is a man of integrity, we believe is a man we can trust to lead our country. Because we know he will not steal our resources, our funds and he will lead with all fairness. Though there are bad eggs in his government, but since the head, Muhammadu Buhari is good, we believe he will take Nigeria to the Promised Land.”
On what Atiku has to offer, Salihu lamented: “We have a problem in Nigeria, if you go to other countries corrupt leaders are being killed and jailed. But it is an irony that in Nigeria, somebody who has been termed corrupt even by his former principal, former president Olusegun Obasanjo, still comes and want to be President. It is a shame to us; we need to work hard for development of our country. People like Atiku should not say they want to govern this country, as man who he is supposed to be his referee, Olusegun Obasanjo, said he is corrupt; that he stole our money and he, Atiku, never contested it.”
Don’t vote Buhari – Ango
On his part, the Chairman of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), former vice chancellor Ango Abdullahi, urged the north not to vote for President Muhammadu Buhari that he has failed Nigerians and should not be trusted for a second term ticket.
On his part, the Chairman of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), former vice chancellor Ango Abdullahi, urged the north not to vote for President Muhammadu Buhari that he has failed Nigerians and should not be trusted for a second term ticket.
Abdullahi said “two of the conditions we gave Buhari upon his assumption of office were that he should take concrete steps to address the abject poverty and underdevelopment in the North and he has woefully failed to marginally address any of them.
“Assuming that things are working in the North or in Nigeria as a whole, we would have taken a different position but everyone can see that things are not working under this government. Perhaps, as a prelude to where this government has taken this country, Buhari wasted six months before being able to set up his cabinet, Abdullahi noted.
Ameh Ebute, others insist on Buhari
Miffed by statements credited to the Convener, NEF, Prof. Ango Abdullahi, Former Senate President, Ameh Ebute, took a swipe at him over “his recent vitriolic comments against the government of President Muhammadu Buhari, and his 2019 re-election bid,” insists he and other northern elders stand with Buhari.
Ebute in a recent statement said that: “For clarity sake, I wish to remind this NEF convener that NEF has not met in recent times and adopted a common position on the rejection or acceptance of the re-election bid of President Buhari or any other candidate vying for the office of the President of Nigeria in 2019.”
According to the Benue-born politician, “We all acknowledge that the North, and indeed Nigeria, deserves to be freed from the tethers of these nagging problems. What has baffled me is the deliberate refusal of Prof. Ango Abdullahi to critically and holistically assess the situation with an open and uninfluenced mind.
“I cannot accept, much like many other Northern elders, that insecurity in the country is worse under President Buhari. It was worse when our President mounted the saddle of leadership in Nigeria in 2015. President Buhari started from ground zero, but has made commendable progress over these problems.
“I expect Ango and those in his camp to speak to leaders of thought in the North. They should be concerned with engaging and dissuading their youths who are excitedly serving as hirelings to exacerbate the insecurity situation in the country in order to reverse the gains already recorded by the Buhari Presidency.
“Ango and co-travellers should not find this as a platform to castigate and vilify President Buhari. President Buhari has taken steps to address the massive youth unemployment across Nigeria, including the North, with the N-Power jobs, even if we pretend not to see his laudable agricultural policies which have created millions of jobs with three years of his administration.”
The lawyer turned politician further stated that: “As elders, I believe this disposition and thinking is faulty… If President Buhari fails to grant NEF audience to discuss these issues, why is the public platform he has used in vilifying the President, not used as channel of advice to Mr. President? It speaks of a personal agenda, which I am encouraged to say, has missed the target.
“Other northern elders like me, at both personal and collective level, will keep supporting President Buhari on his redemption mission of Nigeria. We have seen and felt the positive impact of his administration. Where he is lacking, we would rather advise him privately.
“Like others, I stand, with President Buhari and the excitement of Prof. Ango Abdullahi to mask under NEF will not change it. I advise him to retract this shameful public statement credited to him and retrace his steps, or risk running NEF as a one-man show.”
Why we’re for Atiku – CCYN
On the other hand, a group of northern youths under the umbrella of Confidence Christian Youth of Northern Nigeria (CCYNN) kicked against the re-election bid of President Buhari and endorsed the candidature of Atiku.
According to a press statement signed by Mr. Bala Isiyaku and Mrs. Adah Godwin, coordinators, North-west and North-central zones, respectively, the youth lamented that the government which was voted into power following the promises made to put smiles on the faces of Nigerians, particularly the youth, eventually subjected them to more pains and anguish.
They recalled that prior to 2015 general elections, “APC had accused Jonathan government of corruption” with negative effects on the wellbeing of Nigerians and pledged to eradicate it. Consequently, the party was elected and voted out the PDP.
The group argued that “even when there was corruption, there was food on our table. Little did we know that the worse was on the way when we voted for APC, a party that has subjected every home to hunger arising from abject poverty occasioned by unemployment, contrary to their promise?”
“The amount of AK47 in the hands of one ethnic group that kills other people unchecked and preventing farmers from going to farm in Nigeria today is more than what we ever imagined. It is on record that Buhari increased fuel pump price to N145 per litre with a promise to use the subsidy to improve the economy and better the lives of Nigerians who were deceived to accept the proposal, but rather, the government has succeeded in increasing our suffering as nothing happened positively since the past three years.
“Is there any corruption that is worse than these but why have Nigerians failed to protest against the present government or can we still blame Jonathan, even though those people that have refused Nigerians to farm are not from his tribe or political zone.”
The group, in view of political and economic development in Nigeria, the Confidence Christian Youth of Northern Nigeria totally disagreed with the return of the President Buhari-led administration.
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