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No fewer than 30 youth groups and Civil Society Organisations in the Northern part of the country have likened the Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, and Northern Elders Forum, NEF, to armies without combatants, ahead of the race to the Aso Rock Villa come 2023.
The groups which met under the aegis of Arewa Concerned Civil Society Organisations of Nigeria, ACCSON, however declared support for the 2023 presidential ambition of former Senate President, Anyim Pius Anyim.
They argued that only two regions out of the six geo political regions have not occupied either the President or Vice-President seat since 1999 till date, which was unfair and against democracy tenets.
At a briefing in Kaduna yesterday, spokesperson of ACCSON Abdulsalam Kazeem, said Anyim, a symbol of national Unity has responded to their request to contest the 2023 presidency.
“To set the record straight, on 23rd of March 2021, over 30 Civil Society Organizations of Northern Extraction met at Mallam Aminu Kano Center for Democratic Research Mambayya House Kano State on way forward and the Unity of our nation.
“The Civil Society Organisations include: Arewa Youth Assembly for sustainable growth, Arewa Youth and Students Forum; Concerned Northern Forum;North East Peace Movement; Arewa Youth Council of Nigeria; Northern Youth Assembly for Tranquility; Northern Women Initiative Forum; North East Development Council; North Central Grassroots Foundation; Arewa Female Youth Ambassadors Peace Initiative; Initiative of Youth Advocate on Humanitarian Affairs;Arewa Youth Movement of Nigeria, Tiv Youth Initiative for Peace, Unity and Development, Middle Belt Vanguard; Northern Youth Network For Good Governance; etc.
“We x-rayed the current happenings; which includes unity in diversity, rotational presidency, insecurity, youth unemployment and inclusiveness in governance, among others. The leadership of various organizations at that sitting supported a one Nigeria project. We realize that only two regions out of the six geo-political regions have not occupied either President or vice-President seat since 1999 till date, which is unfair and against any democratic standard.
“For instance; between 1999 and 2007, it was South West and North East, and between 2007 to 2015 it was between North West, South South and North West while between 2015 till date it is between North West and South West! The South East for instance, are part and parcel of the Nigerian project from day one till date; and they should be treated fairly just like other zones of the country.”
”They too deserve to get what others have gotten, because they have paid their dues in terms of contributions and consolidation of Nigeria.”
“The region is being captured in all other sectors of the Nigerian economy based on federal character from 1999 till date, but are denied either of the two positions mentioned earlier.”