No restructuring! Arewa Consultative Forum opposes implementation of 2014 confab report

No restructuring! Arewa Consultative Forum opposes implementation of 2014 confab report

Northern socio-cultural group, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), yesterday opposed implementation of the report of the 2014 national conference.

ACF said its opposition to the report was because the North was not adequately represented at the conference compared to the number of representatives from other parts of the country.

This was contained in a communique issued by the group’s National Publicity Secretary, Muhammad, Ibrahim Biu, after its National Executive Council meeting in Kaduna. The communique read in part: “The opposition of the North to the implementation of the recommendations in report of 2014 National Conference is not so much because of any legal consideration as to its legitimacy, but because the selection of the conference delegates was skewed against the North in number, considering its population.

For emphasis, there are contentious issues like the abolishment of the present local government councils and the creation of 18 additional states that were not resolved in accordance with due process of the conference proceedings.

“ACF, therefore, is of the opinion that it would be morally preposterous and anti-democratic, for anybody or group, to canvass the implementation of the reports by a conference of unelected delegates. This is more so where the elected government, which did not participate in the conference and its recommendations, were not part of the manifesto of the ruling party.” The ACF said it observed, with deep concern, the continued altercations between the Executive arm of government and the National Assembly, in particular the Senate, over interpretations of certain sections of the Constitution regarding confirmation of appointments of public officers and other contentious issues.

-Sun