By Valentine Amanze
The Presidency has lambasted the leader of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Prof. Ango Abdullahi, for allegedly criticising President Muhammadu Buhari.
Abdullahi had said on Sunday June 14, 2020 that the insecurity in some northern states of the country was an indication that Buhari and the governors of those states had lost control over the protection of the people, which, he said was a constitutional duty.
The Presidency through the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, said that Abdullahi and his group were not in a position to fault the president.
The presidency, which described Abdullai as a mere irritant and featherweight, alleged that the group was a one-man show.
It stated: “We are not surprised by this latest statement by Prof. Abdullahi, and our past position on what his group represents remains unchanged: A mere irritant and featherweight.
“The former vice chancellor signed the statement under the banner of Northern Elders Forum (NEF). Hearing that title, you would think the body was a conglomeration of true elders. But the truth is that NEF is just Ango Abdullahi, and Ango Abdullahi is NEF. It is a quasi-organization that boasts of no credible membership, and its leader is akin to a General without troops.”
It pointed out that before the 2019 presidential election, the NEF had shown its antipathy against President Buhari, and its preference for another candidate, stressing that they all got beaten together.
According to it, “NEF is merely waving a flag that is at half-mast.”
He reminded Abdullai and his group that President Buhari was steadily and steadfastly focused on the task of retooling Nigeria. It said that Nigerians don’t need a paper tiger to tell them anything.
