Northern youth groups disagree over Buhari and Atiku's 2019 presidential ambitions

NORTHERN youth groups appear to be divided over the 2019 presidential ambitions of President Muhammadu Buhari and former vice president Alhaji Atiku Abubakar with some of them asking elders over the age of 60 to leave the political scene.

With the 2019 elections less than two years away, President Buhari's team have already begun organising themselves, despite the fact that he is unwell and may not be able to withstand the rigours of a campaign. Alhaji Abubakar for his part has been on the lips of everyone as a potential candidate for the last year, with Ekiti State governor Ayo Fayose touted to have been picked as his running mate, with senate president Bukola Saraki seen as another presidential hopeful.

However, Arewa Youth Consultative Forum leader Alhaji Yerima Shettima and the Arewa Youth Grand Alliance, under the leadership of  Alhaji Idris Inuwa have disagreed on the candidates. Atiku Shettima asked the two politicians and some other northern political leaders above 60 years of age to perish the thought of seeking elective offices in 2019.

He said: “You had your yesterday and you failed your yesterday, you cannot fail today again. You think of doing a great damage to our yet unborn children and you expect us to fold our arms.

“Now, we are building for our own children too, so you cannot fail your yesterday and come and champion my today. It is impossible, this cannot happen again.”

However, Alhaji Inuwa said the statement was a wanton display of lack of respect for northern elders. He said:  “Mr Yerima is deceived by the euphoria that trailed his and other groups infamous quit notice given to Igbo in the north by October 1, 2017, an action deliberately designed to destabilise the nation, thereby seeing himself as an emerging hero that could speak for the North.

“The inconsistencies and vague choice of words in the said interview have clearly shown his ignorance of politics, where wisdom of elders and energy of the youths are pulled together to produce results. In other words, the elders and the youths must constantly collaborate because no one can do without the other.”

Alhaji Inuwa challenged Alhaji Yerima to come out and tell the world his political constituency in the whole north. He also asked him to explain what is his political value apart from being a manipulative political tool in the hands of northern political rivals, who constantly use him for his nuisance value.

 “We wish to state here that we are very much aware of his sponsors to discredit two of the north’s finest politicians of our time, President Muhammadu Buhari and former vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to achieve their sinister political motives against 2019. ‘As northern youths and critical stakeholders in Nigeria, we will resist any attempt by the likes of Yerima to use the name of Arewa for devilish mission.

“Let us warn Mr Yerima and his sponsors to desist from reckless and unguarded utterances against our leaders and elders who have sacrificed so much for our future. Any further attempt will leave us with no option than to bring out his dossiers and make them public, so a word is enough for the wise.”