*Charges Northerners to stop campaigning candidates
By; MIKE ODEH JAMES, Kaduna
As endorsements and criticism of choices made keep making headlines, the spokesman of Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed has advised that members should be allowed to determine the leadership of the 10th National Assembly (NASS).
He gave the advise, at a one-day colloquium organised by the Democratic Watch Initiative, under the chairmanship of Dr. Bukola Saraki, held yesterday at the Arewa House in Kaduna.
“First, the best thing is to respect the independence of the legislature and allow members to choose their leaders. Elected legislatures waiting for final verdicts from the courts who are lobbying groups and members of the public to be elected by colleagues or President-elect forget that if successful, they will be leading legislature. Groups which lobby Tinubu for ‘theirs’, should know they will pay a price in the long run. That is how politics is played,” he said.
According to him, the Northern voter has done his job.
“Some voted because of convictions over qualities of candidates, some because they were induced; some along faith lines and others along party lines.
“The result was that the North was the only region that gave all the candidates huge votes, indeed, they made the difference in terms of who became elected at presidential levels.
“The northern voter has done his job. Some voted because of convictions over qualities of candidates, some because they were induced; some along faith lines and others along party lines,” he said.
Baba-Ahmed explained that the result was that the North was the only region that gave all the candidates huge votes.
“I deed, they made the difference in terms of who became elected at the presidential levels. Individuals and groups lobbying for positions for northern legislators should be conscious of a number of things.
“The North does not want just any legislator from the North to become Speaker. We should hope that he has the highest personal integrity and a good idea of how his position can help him. All of them contesting should submit to a process by which their fellow contestants nominate them and then support.
“The same thing should be done at Senate level. If they who know each other better than us cannot decide who will serve our interests as Northerners best, then we stop campaigning for all of them.
“We do not want legislators who want to be in positions of power to fulfill personal ambition. Individuals and groups lobbying for positions for Northern legislators should be conscious of a number of things,” he charged.
According to him, “The same thing should be done at Senate level. If they who know each other better than us cannot decide who will serve our interests as Northerners best, then we stop campaigning for all of them. We do not want legislators who want to be in positions of power to fulfill personal ambition”.
