2019: Why Ango Abdullahi led Northern Elders Forum to Obasanjo, Afenifere

Representatives of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) and former President Olusegun Obasanjo met last week at Obasanjo’s home in Abeokuta in preparation for the 2019 elections.

NEF’s Spokesman Prof. Ango Abdullahi led two other elders to discuss how to have a consensus candidate that will unseat President Muhammadu Buhari in the presidential election.

It was gathered that the northern elders also met selected leaders of the Afenifere, and will be meeting leaders of other social groups across the other geo-political zones.

Abdullahi, a former minister under Obasanjo, has been criticising the Buhari-led government for insecurities and for neglecting the north where the president comes from.

Early in the year, he announced the north is shopping for one of their own, young and dynamic, that will be fielded against the 75-year-old incumbent.

Obasanjo too has been on a barnstorm mobilising Nigerians to vote out Buhari whom he calls a failure and a nepotic leader.

Part of his mobilisation efforts is the floating of a pseudo-political platform called the Coalition for Nigerian Movement which attracted other coalitions like the Nigerian Intervention Movement and the Coalitions for New Nigerians initially.

However, the zeal with which the Obasanjo-led conspiracy started has dwindled. No consensus yet among the coalitions and political parties that earlier claimed to be in sync with Obasanjo’s coalition.