The Nigerian elders have described the presidential candidate of the main opposition, People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, as the president the country deserves, declaring that they will vote for him on February 16.
The elders took the decision at the summit of Nigerian Leaders and Elders with the theme: “Elections: The Search for Credible Free and Elections.”
The event was chaired by Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) chieftain, Pa Edwin Clark, and Professor Ango Abdullahi, the Convener of Northern Elders’ Forum (NEF).
The elders comprised members of PANDEF, NEF, Ohaneze Ndigbo, an apex Igbo socio-cultural group in Nigeria, Afenifere, a socio-cultural organisation for the Yoruba race and Middle Belt Forum (MBF).
They said Atiku had shown commitment to restructure the country if given the mandate, regretting that President Muhammadu Buhari, despite setting up the Governor Nasir el-Rufai’s committee on the issue, had shown no enthusiasm to do so
They accused Buhari of emphasising ethnicity and religion in his administration.
They regretted that the security situation in the country is in jeopardy, adding that there is constitutional deadlock in the country at the moment. They accused the Buhari administration of coming under the guise of fighting corruption to deal with its perceived enemies, adding that all they had seen in the last three and a half years was that the government of President Buhari had indulged in blame game with little done to improve on the situation it met.