Presidency 2023: North begs Obasanjo for cooperation to save Nigeria

The North has again risen for the struggle for a better Nigeria in the preparations for the 2023 general elections. Leaders from the North were in Abeokuta, Ogun State, on Tuesday where they sought the cooperation of reformer President Olusegun Obasanjo in joining forces to save Nigeria. The northern leaders were led on the mission by the Convener of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Prof. Ango Abdullahi, for consultation with Dr. Obasanjo in Abeokuta. Ango Abdullahi had noted that Nigeria needs good tidings from the 2023 elections for a better leadership and governance system.

The Special Assistant on Media to former President Obasanjo, Kehinde Akinyemi, in a statement on Wednesday, disclosed the consultation meeting former President Obasanjo held with the northern leaders led by Ango Abdullahi on Tuesday evening.

Dr. Obasanjo had expressed concerns about the maladministration of Nigeria and the emerging bad politics by the current generation of politicians. He had advocated the importance of total reorientation.

Ango Abdullahi in a media interaction after the meeting, expressed total agreement with all the issues and concerns Obasanjo raised at the meeting. The NEF Convener emphasised that notwithstanding the ages of their generation, they are still committed to make contributions to the socio-economic growth and development of the country. According to him, this is the reason for “my coming to see him. I don’t want to stay away from him for so many months or years without seeing him, especially, at this period.

“So, I’m visiting him to say hello and get a briefing from him on how I feel about the nation. We also briefed him on how we feel about the nation. We compared some notes and we agreed on some grounds.”

Ango Abdulahi maintained: “We have been having challenges and we have been talking about this. You are in the media and you know what we have been saying about the situation in the country. “Things are not good enough and as we head for 2023, we hope to be strategizing for the good of the nation.”

In the entourage of the NEF Covenant was Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BOT) of the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG), Nastura Ashir Shariff, and the Director, Action and Mobilization CNG, Aminu Adam.

The visit was part of consultations by non-partisan elder statesmen in the country committed to the good of Nigeria.

Former President Obasanjo is yet to play host to any presidential aspirant in the preparations for the 2023 elections. However, leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had earlier visited Obasanjo in Abeokuta where they had a consultative meeting and sought his counsel.