2023: North's Most Influential Group Set to Endorse Gov. Bala Mohammed or Dokpesi for President

Daily Rendezvous

The North's most influential group, Northern Leaders Youth Forum (NLYF) is set to endorse either Bauchi state governor, Bala Mohammed or media mogul and founder of DAAR Communications, Raymond Dokpesi, come 5th June, 2021.

The group, during its 27th national delegates conference held in Yola, Adamawa state, said, it would not be intimidated from endorseing either Bala Mohammed or Dokpesi, come 5th June, 2021.

The group alleged that its group members have come under severe threat by some powerful Nigerians trying to influence the groups endorsement after it scaled down twenty seven names it earlier shortlisted to two persons, of Bala Mohammed and Raymond Dokpesi.

Conspicuous absences from the list is PDP's 2019 flag bearer, Atiku Abubakar, Nyesom Wike, among othet notable names earlier shortlisted.

Speaking to Newsmen at a press conference in Yola, the National Chairman of Northern Leaders Youth Forum (NYLF) Comrade Eliot Afiyo, said the group is unafraid and would ahead to endorse the person it feels is the best option to lead Nigeria into a certain future and confront the issues of poverty, corruption and underdevelopment.

Eliot said, "This Delegates Conference supposed to be one of the special delegates conference as it was designed or purposed to endorse and announce our own choice candidate for the 2023 presidential election but for some circumstances beyond our control.

"The death of the Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru who happened to be a brother to our first National Chairman, which also claimed the lives of two of our members, Major Hamza and Major Hayat coupled with the security report at our disposal on the plans by two other presidential hopefuls to cause crisis if peradventure we eventually endorsed and announced our own candidate for 2023 presidential elections, 

"We decided for the sake of peace and in honor of our departed elders and colleagues to shift the endorsement to the 5th of June, 2021, at Abuja.

 

"Notwithstanding, our decision to endorse either Gov. Bala Mohammed or High Chief Raymond Dokpesi still stands in-spite of intimations and threats. We have convincing reasons to back-up our decision and it is our stand point."

Speaking on the ban on open grazing, Eliot said, "We want to state clearly that open grazing has been the greatest threat to the environment of the northern region and also a major threat to security of lives and property in the entire country."

NLYF added that, "The national dialogue is also a necessity considering the clamour and demands for restructuring and secessions. 

"But we are totally opposed to the use of 2014 Constitutional Conference Report because to us generally in the North, the Report lacks credibility due to the fact that the Delegates especially from the northern part of the country, were hand-picked based on agreements of loyalty.

"To this end, the NYLF during our special delegates conference resolved to totally supports the call for national dialogue and ban on open grazing. 

"We call on the Federal Government to as a matter of urgency and national interest, to consider these calls as duty calls to obey and immediately too.

"In order to enforce completely the ban on open grazing, we call for the establishment of Herder’s Commission or Agency to cater for the needs of the herders through selective programmes so as to effectively Kick-Start the ranching system."

The Forum, with its about forty two (42) affiliate groups have since 1999 been instrumental in the emergence of Presidents, Governors, and other political leaders across the country, hence its endorsement of a presidential candidate is not only significant but critical to the determination of Nigeria's next political leader.