2023: Clark, ADC Chairman Tackle Northern Elders Forum

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja and Funmi Ogundare

For Nigeria to progress as a country, the country must play down on ethnicity.

Leader of Pan-Niger Delta Forum, Chief Edwin Clark, stated this while speaking on ARISE Newsnight,, saying that he is detribalised and believes in one Nigeria.

Clark was reacting to the comments made by the spokesman of the Northern Elders Forum, Dr. Hakeem Baba Ahmed, who said the north would relinquish power in 2023 because it has the numbers to win any elections.

“We will lead Nigeria the way we have led Nigeria before, whether we are President or Vice President, we will lead Nigeria. We have the majority of the votes and democracy says vote whom you want. Why should we accept a second class position when we know we can buy a form and contest for first class and we will win? Baba-Ahmed said.

However, Clark condemned those comments. This is just as the National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Mr. Ralphs Nwosu, faulted Baba-Ahmed’s comments. Nwosu, in a statement issued yesterday, said that holding onto leadership and creating the kind of poverty the country has now leverages none.

Clark, who expressed concern about the insecurity situation especially in the North-eastern part of the country.

He appealed to Ahmed to call his people to order so that we can have one Nigeria.

According to him, “look at what is happening in the northwest! People who feels that they have been oppressed are the ones fighting back. cThe state governors were the ones moving the Almajiris from place to place and they are the ones fighting back now. I believe in one Nigeria.”

Clark who also opposed the creation of Kano Naval base, said though there is nothing wrong in building a naval base, but that the Niger Delta region seems to have been marginalised.

” In any country, they have armed forces; the army, navy and air force. You can have a naval base in places like Warri and Port Harcourt. The government should provide naval services in the country. When you talk about unwholesomeness, there is nothing wrong, but where are you going to train the boys? There is nothing wrong in building a naval base, but what have they done for the Niger Delta region?

On his part, Nwosu who said he was infuriated by the statement credited to Baba-Ahmed said respected intellectuals should not sound this way.

He stated: “I am infuriated when any of our respected public intellectuals sound this way. Reducing our rich knowledge to North and South thinking creates the kind of dichotomy that impedes development and the kind of national cohesion to leverage our various people.

“Holding onto leadership and creating the kind of poverty we have now leverages none. Elites must become unifiers so that we can build a nation that is able to employ our rich diversity values for quality and endearing public policies. Public policies that are just and non discriminatory.”

The ADC chairman stressed that in a multi ethnic country like Nigeria, it was important everyone is given a sense of belonging.

Nwosu said he felt seriously that aiming to use the gaps in the democratic process to dominate others or threaten them hurts everyone.

He added: “We need to develop an elite culture that is beyond myopic prism. Our elites should really begin to challenge the status quo so that we can inspire our youths towards a direction that creates prosperity, security, peace and opportunities for all. Hakeem and many of our elites in the public space should realize that they model the way for all others, especially the youths, each time they mount any podium.”