The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has passed a vote of no confidence on all governors of the northern states of the federation, saying the loss of confidence is because they have become “sell-outs”.
The Forum accused the governors of betraying their zone with an alleged agreement with President Goodluck Jonathan to seek re-election instead of forcing him to relinquish power to the north.
Currently, the president has not declared but Nigerians believe that his body language has shown his interest in the exalted seat.
However, Muhammadu Buhari, Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, both from the north, have declared interest to contest for the position on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Speaking during an interview session with journalists in Bauchi on Tuesday, the Forum’s Secretary Professor Ango Abdullahi, said some of the Northern governors secretly made a deal with Jonathan in 2011 because of self-interest while keeping their people in the dark.
He said to the shame of the governors, the secret deal was later confirmed by Jonathan himself.
He urged the Northern Governors to be bold enough to tell Jonathan that he has no right to contest election based on their earlier power rotation agreement reached between the Northern and Southern parts of the country under the auspices of the PDP.
Abdullahi said: “it was only recently that the governor of Niger State who is currently the chairman of the Northern Governors Forum (NGF) came out with the revelation that they had a secret deal with Jonathan to contest the 2011 elections.
“Common sense should have dictated to PDP that there would be four years to pay the North back from 2011 but as you have already seen, the governors sold it out, they sold us and the North out.”
He specifically called Governor Aliyu Babangida a betrayer and sell-out asking why he suddenly changed his stand that the president promised in 2011 to go for only one term.
He warned Nigerians not to vote for Jonathan in 2015, stressing that anyone who votes for him would be taken as conniving with the PDP to sell the rights of Northern Nigerian people.
