With respect to the coming elections, the Northern Elders Forum has stated the quality it seeks in a presidential candidate.
Speaking during a meeting, in kaduna, on Saturday, January 15th, 2022, the forum’s spokesperson, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed,  disclosed that the region would only support the candidacy of an individual with the ability to address the nation’s socio-economic, and security problems, irrespective of the person’s ethnicity.
The elders say they will no longer vote for a candidate based on sentiments as they did for President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015, describing the incumbent as a disappointment to not only the North but the entire country.
While stating that the north will no longer be taken for a ride, Baba-Ahmed noted that both the South and North have equal rights to seek for the exalted office of the President in 2023.
The Northern Elders also called on the Federal Government to postpone the planned 2022 national population census in view that the large numbers of displaced persons across the country and the likelihood of the tension and controversy the exercise could generate before the 2023 General election.
The forum advocated key reforms in the constitution and the electoral process that should be implemented to improve the quality of elections, and further urged President Muhammadu Buhari to assent to the proposed amendments to the Electoral Act, as this will improve the quality of elections, starting from 2023.
-CHANNELS-