Severe political alliance with Southwest, CNG tells North

The Coalition of Northern Groups, CNG, has called on the North to severe political ties with the Southwest, arguing the the zone has been in the forefront of opposition to President Muhammadu Buhari despite being a major beneficiary of his administration.

The group, in a statement by its spokesman, Abdul-Azeez Sulaiman on Wednesday, also called on President Buhari to apologise to Nigerians for dragging the country into a desperate situation.

Asking the President to admit his inadequacies and take steps to address national grievances, the group said the North was aware of the current administration’s lapses which are sources of concern.

It also said despite the obvious lapses, Northerners decided not to take part in the #RevolutionNow protests because of their belief that every form of disagreement can be resolved through civilised engagement rather than resorting to confrontation.

The group further acknowledged that the nation was facing various challenges under the Buhari administration, such as the Boko Haram insurgency, farmers-herders clashes, sluggish economic growth, lopsidedness in the distribution of appointments and budgetary allocations among others, stained anti-corruption crusade, and disregard for the rule of law.

“We submit that instead of just sitting back to thank Nigerians for not joining the overthrow plan, President Buhari should rather sincerely apologise to the nation by reflecting on how he dragged the country into such a desperate situation, own up to his inadequacies and take genuine steps to address the mounting national grievances.

Read also: If govt takes Sowore to court, Buhari’ll be my first witness, he called for revolution in 2011 – Falana

“Unless this is done, with the growing angry mood that pervades the entire country, the likelihood of a more serious dissent remains imminent.

“We also wish to ask the President if in all honesty he still considers the South Western players as true friends who are genuinely desirous of his success.

“He should ask himself if the treatment he is receiving from them is worth the attention he had given the South West which involved colliding with his northern brethren to the point of elevating the status of June 12 as appeasement.

“To the entire northern leaders and elite, we categorically say that the current political alignment with the South West is not paying and it never will.

“The vital task at this point is for the northern political leadership to renegotiate its current alliance with the South West which has never been North’s political ally”, the group said.

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