A group of Northern organizations under the aegis of the Arewa Joint Committee (JAC) will begin an interface with presidential candidates on Saturday.
The group aims to know the plans and visions of these politicians for the North and the nation in general.
According to the committee, the interaction will focus on security, economy, infrastructure, and leadership challenges in the country.
JAC comprises the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation (SABMF), Jamiyyar Matan Arewa (JMA), Arewa House (Centre for Historical Development and Research) and Arewa Research and Documentation Project (ARDP).
It said six candidates — Asiwaju Bola Tinubu (All Progressives Congress) Atiku Abubakar (Peoples Democratic Party), Peter Obi ( Labour Party), Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso (New Nigeria Peoples Party), Kola Abiola (Peoples Redemption Party) and Adebayo Adewole (Social Democratic Party)—have accepted invitation to attend the event.
JAC explained at a news conference by its Secretary, Abubakar Umar, in Kaduna, that one of the reasons for the invitation was to avoid mistakes of the past when leaders without proper understanding of their visions and plans found themselves in power.
Umar said, “Together, we have pooled our energy, commitments to the interests of the North and Nigeria, and other resources to engage some presidential candidates who seek the mandate of Nigerians to govern from May 29, 2023.
“The engagements will start on Saturday, October 15, and end on October 17. The candidates who will interact with a select group of leaders and elders from across the North will be those of the APC, NNPP, PDP, PRP, LP, and SDP. Other candidates will likely be invited at a later date.
“These engagements have become necessary to avoid mistakes of the past when leaders emerged with no popular inputs into their plans and programs, and with virtually no efforts to interrogate their capacities and vision if they became leaders.”
