Consensus candidate: Northern Elders Forum denies adopting Atiku

Alhaji Seidu Baba, a member of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), says the forum has not adopted former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Presidential candidate, as consensus candidate.

Baba made the clarification on Saturday at a news conference in Abuja.

According to him, though, Atiku has been scheming to be endorsed as the sole candidate of the North, NEF has not endorsed him.

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He dismissed the claims that the NEF’s 10th Anniversary was to adopt Atiku as consensus candidate for the North, “Atiku has no credentials to be a sole Northern Presidential candidate”.

Baba said: “There was an attempt to cajole and even force the NEF to adopt him (Atiku), shows how desperate he is.

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“Many people believe, though the Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-rufai, was condemning Northern elders, it is believed, his real target was Atiku Abubakar.

“There is no way Atiku can be a Northern candidate, because he does not know them and we do not know him.”

“It is believes Atiku got wind of his rejection the reason he failed to show up at the NEF Assembly and could not send any representative.

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“Atiku has not been seen as somebody who is closed to the North, because he has not been fair to us.

“He is somebody that have his base outside the North.” (NAN)