THISDAY – The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) and the Northern Traditional Rulers Council (NTRC) rose from a meeting in Kaduna Wednesday alleging that ahead of next year’s elections, the federal government has masterminded the mass redeployment of heavy weapons from the Northern part of the country to the south for the purpose of rigging the election.
Other issues which the regional elders outlined, which they said the federal government is planning to use to twist the polls, include the projection of ethnic politics and manipulation of religion for political gains.
The meeting, chaired by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, also dismissed the planned national conference as unnecessary, pointing out that if it must hold then President Goodluck Jonathan must relinquish his position in order for the entire process to be independent and truly reflect the aspirations of Nigerians.
These, according to Solomon Dalung, one of the elders of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), were some of the matters discussed at the Kaduna gathering of the northern elders, which also attracted traditional rulers, some governors and a representative of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd). The governors and the NSA, it was learnt, gate crashed into the meeting.
