The Middle Belt group wondered how millions of Middle Belt and northern Christian voters benefitted from Atiku Abubakar.
By Jeffrey Agbo
The Southern and Middle-Belt Alliance (SaMBA) has distanced itself from the purported endorsement of the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, by a group coordinated by the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara.
SaMBA, a group of northern leaders, in a statement released on Saturday, said the Northern Leaders Consultative Forum (NLCF) is on a self-serving mission.
The statement signed by SaMBA Spokesman, Prince Rwang Pam Jnr, in response to the reported endorsement of Atiku Abubakar by “a toothless platform” said that the group was manipulated by some politicians who had benefited and still benefiting from the old order.
The Middle Belt group wondered how millions of Middle Belt and northern Christian voters benefitted from Atiku Abubakar, who in recent history deleted his tweet condemning the killing of Deborah Yakubu in Sokoto by Islamic extremists.
SaMBA noted that the former Vice President is yet to condole with the affected family six months after.
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The statement reads, “Our attention has been drawn to the purported endorsement of the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, by a toothless Northern Leaders Consultative Forum (NLCF), coordinated by former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, who by this action has lost favour amongst his Middle Belt family.
“We want to state categorically that the Communique by Rt. Hon. Dogara’s group is self serving and does not remotely or substantially represent the interest of Middlebelters who occupy approximately 300,000 Sq km of the Northern region that is about 50%.
“Also, it is on record that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar who declined to speak publicly against the gruesome murdered of Deborah Yakubu in Sokoto will not defend the interest of Middlebelters and Christians living in the north. Atiku who had been vice president between 1999-2007 belongs to the old order. He will not be able to restructure Nigeria to satisfy the yearning of Nigerians.
“Therefore, the endorsement of the Presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by this group cannot stand and will not stand. Their lame excuse that the Presidential candidate of Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi, does not have a structure is false. Progressive Nigerians are the structures and Middlebelters remain solidly in support of Mr Peter Obi and Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed.”