Progressive Northern Elements regret voting for Tinubu, saying that the region’s elders cannot speak for everyone in the region

Following the statement made by Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, the Director of Publicity and Advocacy for the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), that the north regretted choosing President Bola Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election and that it would not make the same mistake again in 2027, northern groups have come out in support of President Tinubu.

“Going forward, the North will be more cautious in selecting a candidate for the presidency,” stated Abdul-Azeez Suleiman in an interview. Someone who is viewed as more inclusive, less divisive, and more in line with the interests of all parts of the nation will be given priority.

As a result, there has been discussion in the North between those who agree with President Tinubu’s views and those who support the NEF. The Northern Elders Forum has disowned its spokesperson, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, for making the remark that he was acting independently.

The Progressive Northern Elements, a group from the north, reacted to the Northern Elders’ stance on President Tinubu by claiming that it was premature to criticise the President. Alhaji Ibrahim Mohammed Modibbo, the chairman of the Progressive Northern Elements, stated that the President was performing well and that it was premature for the Northern Elders Forum to start looking for weaknesses in a candidate it had backed to win the presidency.

His words: “Rather than stirring up unnecessary tension and over heating the polity without recourse to the sustained efforts to make Nigeria, especially the north, a more economically vibrant region, we expect the North to rally round President Tinubu-led administration to succeed. We have noticed Tinubu’s sincerity and commitment to tackling the prolonged security challenges facing the North and frantic efforts towards revamping the economy of the entire country.

So, we were worried to hear our Northern elders speaking too early when former President of northern extraction, exhausted eight years in office with several unresolved challenges ranging from severe insecurity, high unemployment, collapse of agriculture activities due to banditry, and bad economy, yet the voice of the Northern Elders was not heard.

At this point, we have no option than to join Matawalle to say members of NEF lack the authority to speak for the entire region as they have become political burden to Northerners. We vow that any destructive journey that will bring the North to disrepute by NEF for personal and selfish gains will be met with stiff resistance. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu won the February 2023 presidential election convincingly and has a four-year tenure to execute his campaign promises to Nigerians and until then, he must be allowed to work without distractions,” the group stated.

Northern Elders derailing from their advisory role—–Arewa Progressives Forum

Similarly, the Arewa Progressive Forum (APFO) also dissociated itself from the views of the Northern Elders Forum. In his reaction, National Secretary of the APFO, Magaji Abbas Danbatta expressed regret that the recent outbursts of the Elders forum did not represent the Northern agenda for peace and national unity of the country which was not negotiable.

Danbatta said it was an error for any group or political association to come out openly and announce their regret over a majority decision, warning that Northern elders were derailing from their counseling and advisory role to the government on national issues as it affects the region.

The group supported Minister of State Defense, Bello Mohammed Matawalle in his response to the NEF outbursts against President Tinubu, saying, the people behind the claim were more interested in personal gains than the unity and survival of Nigeria. “We are of the view that President Tinubu’s approach to the issues of security in the North so far, especially Northwest is one of the best compared to his immediate predecessor’s approach,” the group said.