L-R: Babachir Lawal (left), Peter Obi and Yakubu Dogara
By NewsBits
After several months of political permutations, the Northern Elders Consultative Forum, including the Christian leaders in the All Progressives Congress in the North have finally split their support between Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar.
Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, who had been one of the leaders of the group had endorsed the presidential candidate, of Labour Party, Peter Obi and his running mate, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed.
Lawal said Obi and Baba-Ahmed were endorsed, after painstakingly reviewing and analysing the alternative candidates. However, on Friday the Dogara faction of the Northern group also adopted the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar for the 2023 election.
According to them, Atiku was adopted following the resolve of the Northern Christian leaders to work with their Muslim counterparts to adopt one of the presidential candidates in a bid to defeat the same-faith presidential ticket of the APC.
The former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, and a faction of the group had earlier distanced themselves from the endorsement, saying they were yet to conclude consultations and that their position will be made public.
However, making their position known in Abuja on Friday, a former Deputy Governor of Kogi State, Simon Achuba, while reading the report of the technical criteria committee set up by the leaders, said Atiku was adopted after due consideration of the report of the technical criteria committee set up by the leaders.
