Politics
THE expanded meeting of the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum, SMBLF, held on Sunday, May 30, 2021, in Abuja, has urged the federal government to heed the unending calls for a transparent national dialogue, as a step towards restructuring and bringing back unity and harmony in the country.
The meeting also reminded all leading political parties, especially the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, that the basis of any viable democracy, especially in a diverse and complex country such as Nigeria, is fair and even sharing of power;
They cautioned that any ill-advised steps to arrogate power to only one part of the country would aggravate the existing tension and unhealthy drift;
They noted that the northern part of the country would have fully enjoyed the Office of the Presidency of the country for the full statutory period of eight years by 2023, hence, should yield to the South;
The leaders, therefore, unequivocally and in full resolution, called on the APC and PDP to zone the Presidency of the country to the South and urged political stakeholders from the South not to be lured to the unpatriotic step of seeking such other positions as National Chairmen of the main political parties, but join forces to demand and ensure that the Presidency moves to the South in 2023;
They called on the federal government to urgently come up with firm and proactive strategies to restore peace and security to all parts of the country, for the peace and stability of the polity and the wellbeing of the citizens; They also emphasized that if the security situation was not dealt with, it would not be feasible to have acceptable elections in 2023;
While condemning the cavalier attitude of the federal government towards the resolutions of the Governors of Southern States at their meeting, held in Asana, Delta State on 11th May 2021, they insisted that “cattle rearing is a business enterprise, as such, the federal government should avoid committing state resources to promote any particular business, beyond providing the enabling environment and performing its regulatory roles.
They noted the present effort by the National Assembly to amend the 1999 Constitution, and cautioned that the necessary courage and statesmanship should be displayed to ensure that the process culminates in the fundamental restructuring of the country;
The leaders extended condolences to the families of the late Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Ibrahim Attahiru, and 10 other military personnel, who died in the unfortunate military plane crash on 21st May 2021, and called on the military authorities to carry out a thorough investigation to ascertain the actual cause of the crash.
They reaffirmed commitment to the unity of Nigeria, but must only be sustained on the principles of Equity, Fairness, and Justice.
The meeting, which was chaired by elder statesman, Edwin Clark, had in attendance leaders of various socio-cultural organizations as follows: Afenifere for the South West, Ohanaeze Ndigbo for the South East, Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, for the South-South and the Middle Belt Forum, MBF, for the Middle Belt.
The meeting also had in attendance, former Governors, former Ministers, and former members of the National Assembly, from the respective zones
The communique was signed by Chief E. K. Clark, Leader, Chief Ayo Adebanjo – Leader, Afenifere, Prof George Obiozor – President General, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Pogu Bitrus – National President, Middle Belt Forum, and 8 others.
– June 01, 2021 @ 17:29 GMT
Tags: ahead of restructuring Middle Belt Leaders Forum calls for national dialogue Southern
