Arewa committee: Why we organised interactive session for presidential candidates

The Arewa joint committee (AJC) has explained why it organised an interactive series for candidates for the 2023 presidential election. 

Murtala Aliyu, chairman, steering committee of the group, said this on Tuesday at a media briefing held in Kaduna.

Aliyu said the coalition is not a political group, but an organisation interested in contributing to fostering development in Nigeria, especially in the north.

“The exploitation of ethnic and religious fault lines is extremely dangerous, and the nation is already showing signs of stress owing to this exploitation,” he said.

“Between Saturday, October 15, and Monday 17, we hosted five of the six candidates who had accepted to participate in the historic interactions.

“One candidate chose not to participate. We are grateful to the candidates who honoured our invitation and who showed respect to public opinion and the Nigerian voter by submitting themselves to the most intimate scrutiny by northern elders and other groups, the media, and the public.

“First, it demonstrated the strong bonds of unity of the people of the north, represented by the collaborating groups, and our unquestioning commitment to the search for the best quality of leadership out of the many candidates who want our support.

“Second, they showed a commendable level of respect for the democratic process by the candidates who submitted to the process.

“Third, it afforded Nigerians a rare opportunity to see and hear candidates speak about their plans and vision. Four, it helped to focus attention on the peculiar and shared problems and challenges of the north and scrutinise the levels of understanding and sympathy for them among the candidates.

“Finally, they raised the bar in our search for leadership that respects accountability and competence.”

Aliyu added that the interaction was not planned with the goal of endorsing a candidate.

“We plan to extract and publish these commitments, so that Nigerians may measure and evaluate candidates against them. Our goal is to afford citizens an opportunity to match candidates against their commitments to matters that are central to the interests of the north,” he added.

“Until the elections in February 2023, the north will be challenged to raise its vigilance over all electoral activities.

“It is vital that we prioritise evidence of competence, integrity, quality of preparation and commitment to address the challenges of the north among candidates.

“We will continue to invite attention of the government to the security of the electoral process, and in particular, the vulnerability of many parts of the north to organised crime which may pose a serious threat to their rights to participate in electing the next set of leaders in 2023.”

The committee, which organised the just-concluded interactive session comprised the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Arewa Research and Development Project (ARDP), Sir Ahmadu Bello Foundation, and Jamiyyar Matan Arewa (JMA).