THE Presidency has reacted to the alarm raised by the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) led by Prof. Ango Abdullahi which alleged that President Muhammadu Buhari and governors of the northern states have lost control of protecting the people.
The group had in a statement on Sunday signed by its convener, Prof. Ango Abdullahi, alleged that the insecurity in some northern states of the country was an indication that President Muhammadu Buhari and the governors of those states have lost control over the protection of the people which is a constitutional duty.
Reacting to the statement, the Special Adviser to the President (Media and Publicity), Femi Adesina in a statement on Monday said the presidency was not surprised by the latest statement by Prof. Abdullahi’s ‘one man’s squad’, adding that the group represents a mere irritant and featherweight.
The statement reads in part;
“The former vice chancellor signed the statement under the banner of Northern Elders Forum (NEF). Hearing that title, you would think the body was a conglomeration of true elders. But the truth is that NEF is just Ango Abdullahi, and Ango Abdullahi is NEF. It is a quasi-organization that boasts of no credible membership, and its leader is akin to a General without troops.
“Before the 2019 presidential election, the one-man army called NEF had shown its antipathy against President Buhari, and its preference for another candidate. They all got beaten together.
“NEF is merely waving a flag that is at half-mast. President Buhari steadily and steadfastly focuses on the task of retooling Nigeria, and discerning Nigerians know the true state of the nation. They don’t need a paper tiger to tell them anything”.