2023: ACF Warns Members against Endorsing Presidential Aspirants

John Shiklam

The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has warned its members against speaking and endorsing any aspirant ahead of the 2023 presidential election.

The Chairman of the forum and former Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh, gave the warning yesterday, in his opening remarks at the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the forum in Kaduna.

He said the ACF is not a political party and cannot endorse any presidential aspirant.

Ogbeh also said the ACF plans to meet with its counterparts in the south-east, south-west and south-south in order to douse political tension in the country and ensure peaceful coexistence among Nigerians ahead of the general elections.

The former Agriculture Minister added: “Our plans to have meetings with Afenifere, Ohanaeze, South South People’s Congress is still on course because there is need to put a stop to abusive words against one region or the other.

“We should desist from endorsing any candidate for the 2023 presidency. If anybody ask you about endorsement, tell such person that we are not a political party.

“Even for the 2023, we do not know yet who the candidate is. We are not a political party.”

We do not participate in political activities except where it becomes necessary. May God help us with good candidate.

It is only the Almighty God that can solve our problem.

“We need to make peace. Abusive words on social media will not help us. We don’t want chaos in this country. If we turn refugees where shall we go to? We will abandon all our property because we cannot carry anything along with us other than Ghana-Must-Go bag”.

The ACF chairman also expressed concern over the increased level of criminalities and attacks in schools and called on governments at all levels to sanitise the school system and ensure the security of school children.

“Government must try very hard to bring sanity to our school system, otherwise we are going nowhere because there are crimes like cultism, sodomy and others in most of our schools today,” he said.

The forum is expected to issue a communique at the end of the meeting.