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Ahead of the next general election, the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), in conjunction with the National Political Consultative Group (NPCG), has said the northern elders would make concerted efforts to rally the entire North as a bloc. The strategy, the NEF said, will include all the traditional rulers and religious leaders across the 19 states in the North. Director General of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Professor Doknan Sheni, revealed this on Saturday while presenting a paper, “The Imperative of Northern Unity Ahead of 2027 Election,” at the expanded meeting of the National Political Consultative Group held in Abuja. While identifying issues instigating cracks in the region, Sheni maintained that political leaders across party lines must imbibe democratic culture, subdue their personal ambitions for national interest, and jettison the “do-or-die” approach to politics. He called for urgent attention to pressing issues confronting the region, which include ongoing security crises, significant development deficits, unemployment, out-of-school children, differential treatment of one another based on religion or ethnicity, and political marginalisation. “For the North to unite towards the 2027 general election, there should be a summit of northern leaders sometime in the first quarter of 2026 or thereabouts to harmonise ideas and plan for the elections. The two major operating factors that influence voter election patterns—religion and ethnicity—must be addressed at that summit. If the idea of the summit is accepted, a committee consisting of members from each state in the North should be set up to draft a northern development blueprint that the summit will endorse,” Sheni submitted. He said further: “There may be other political interests by other Nigerians to wedge and exploit political, religious, or ethnic differences within northerners so that they could get inroads into the region. If we permit these differences among us to be exploited by other politicians outside our region, then we have agreed to be permanently divided. “We should do everything possible to narrow and minimise these differences. No matter the cause of the disunity, when northerners close ranks and begin to treat one another with respect and with justice, most of the issues causing disunity will disappear. I will try and explore further the internal and external factors that may cause disunity among northerners.” The NEF DG said the proponents of northern unity believe that a cohesive political front is necessary to negotiate for equitable representation. He stated that a united voice would strengthen the North’s position in national dialogues and resource negotiations and manage internal power dynamics, among others. While lamenting that Northern Nigeria is disproportionately affected by a number of security threats, including terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and farmer-herder clashes, he declared that a unified action is necessary to implement coordinated security measures. “The Northern States Governors’ Forum, Northern Elders’ Forum, the Arewa Consultative Forum, and traditional rulers’ forums should hold meetings to align regional strategies for security and development. Investment summits like the Northern Nigeria Investment and Industrialisation Summit (NNIIS), organised by the Northern Elders Forum, should seek to bring together leaders and private sector actors to coordinate on economic initiatives. “If this succeeds and is implemented, unemployment and youth restiveness will decrease significantly. Grassroots mobilisation, youth groups, and civil society organisations should be engaged in advocacy to raise awareness of shared problems and mobilise citizens to demand better governance,” he said. ALSO READ TOP STORIES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
