By DAVID IORJA, Abuja –
The Presidency has again descended heavily on the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), led by Prof. Ango Abdullahi, a former Vice-Chancellor of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, describing it as a mere irritant and featherweight.
The NEF incurred the anger of the Presidency by alleging in a statement signed by its Convener, Prof. Abdullahi, alleging that the insecurity in some northern states of the country was an indication that President Muhammadu Buhari and the governors of those states have lost control over the protection of the people which is a constitutional duty.
Special Adviser to the President on Media & Publicity, Femi Adesina, on Sunday, reacted swiftly Abdullahi’s statement, issued earlier on the same day.
In the statement, titled “Northern Elders Forum: Still General without troops,” the Presidency said “We are not surprised by this latest statement by Prof. Abdullahi, and our past position on what his group represents remains unchanged: a mere irritant and featherweight.”
The rest of the statement read:
“The former vice chancellor signed the statement under the banner of Northern Elders Forum (NEF). Hearing that title, you would think the body was a conglomeration of true elders. But the truth is that NEF is just Ango Abdullahi, and Ango Abdullahi is NEF. It is a quasi-organization that boasts of no credible membership, and its leader is akin to a General without troops.
“Before the 2019 presidential election, the one-man army called NEF had shown its antipathy against President Buhari, and its preference for another candidate. They all got beaten together.
“NEF is merely waving a flag that is at half-mast. President Buhari steadily and steadfastly focuses on the task of retooling Nigeria, and discerning Nigerians know the true state of the nation. They don’t need a paper tiger to tell them anything.”
