Buhari has democratic right to contest in 2019 - Arewa Forum sends message to Obasanjo

The group said President Buhari has the right to contest

The Arewa Consultative Forum has responded to Chief Olusegun

Obasanjo’s letter to President Muhammadu Buhari asking him to

seek re-election in the 2019 Presidential polls.

The Nation reports that this was contained in a statement signed

by its national publicity secretary, Muhammad Ibrahim Biu, on

Tuesday, January 23.

The northern socio-cultural group said President Buhari has the

right to contest in 2019.

It said while Obasanjo has the right to his opinion, the decision to

contest lies with President Buhari and his party.

It said: “The statement credited to former President Obasanjo that

President Buhari should not re-run 2019 election, it is his

democratic right to express his view like any other Nigerian on all

issues including democracy.

“However, it is President Buhari’s prerogative and that of his party

to decide on whether to re-contest or not.”

Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) described the

counsel by former president Obasanjo that President Buhari

should not seek a re-election in 2019 as courageous, timeous and

patriotic, adding that such has vindicated its position

The party however rejected the call by Chief Obasanjo for a third

force saying that such would amount to repeating the same

blunder that brought in the ideologically vacuous APC and the

Buhari Presidency which has now wrecked havoc on the nation in

its almost three years of governance.

PDP national publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, in a

statement on Tuesday, January 23 said the fact that President

Buhari and the APC have failed our nation is obvious to all,

adding that Nigerians have already taken an irrevocable position

against them ahead of the 2019 elections.