The Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, has dismissed the endorsement of the presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, by some socio-cultural groups in the country, saying it may not affect the outcome of the election significantly.
Reacting to an enquiry made by Vanguard on the implication of the endorsement of Atiku by the groups, the secretary of the umbrella body of the north, Anthony Sani, said the endorsement was “nothing new”, adding that ACF does not share the views of Northern Elders Forum, NEF.
“Many media houses have been asking for reactions on the endorsement of PDP presidential candidate in the person of former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, by factions of Afenifere, Ohanaeze, PAN Niger Delta Forum, PABDEF, the middle belt forum and the Northern Elders Forum.
“We thought there was no need for the reactions because it is nothing new.but because of the generated public interest, we react as follows: The endorsement is nothing new because apart from NEF faction, led by Prof Ango Abdullahi, all the other socio-cultural groups in the endorsement actually endorsed and worked for PDP in 2015, yet APC prevailed in the elections.
“What is new in this endorsement is the fact that only a faction of Afenifere, a faction of Ohanaeze and a faction of Northern Elders Forum are actually involved.
”As a result, the endorsement may not affect the outcome of the election significantly, since factions cannot possibly represent the whole, let alone the regions which the platforms profess to represent.
“You may wish to know that ACF, which is the umbrella body for the North, does not share the views promoted by a faction of Northern Elders Forum, led by Prof Ango Abdullahi.
“The endorsement of President Buhari by about 71 Generals has dispelled the rumors bandied about that retired Generals have ganged up to unseat President Buhari electorally,” he said.
