Political heavyweights under the aegis of Northern Elders and Stakeholders on Saturday, February 10, 2018, in Abuja, brainstormed on strategies to be deployed in order to pick a consensus candidate to represent the region in the 2019 presidential election.
The meeting convened by Bello Mohammed, a former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and Ibrahim Mantu, a former deputy senate president was called to seek ways of reaching an accord for an acceptable person who would fly the zone’s presidential flag.
Other prominent northern leaders at the event were Babangida Aliyu; a former governor of Niger State, Senator Bala Mande and Senator Solomon Ewuga.
The meeting was informed by reported widespread discontent trailing the alleged poor performance and failing health of President Muhammadu Buhari and the need to get a younger candidate ahead of the political party primaries, Punch reported.
Mohammed, who is also a former Minister of Defence, in his speech, said the forum was convened “after due consideration of the current political situation in the country.”
In a communiqué at the end of the meeting, the elders and stakeholders stated that they agreed to set up a committee to search and present a consensus candidate for the 2019 presidential election.
They equally set up a committee to look at the desirability or otherwise of the restructuring of Nigeria just as they approved the holding of a political summit, tagged ‘Northern Political Submit’ on March 15, 2018.
The Presidency had earlier stated that President Muhammadu Buhari’s health status will determine whether or not he will seek re-election in 2019.
