2019 presidency: ACF speaks on Buhari’s fate, says ‘it has not decided’

The Northern socio-political group, Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF,
says it has not decided the fate of President Mohammadu Buhari in the
2019 election.

Chairman of the group, Ibrahim Coomasie, who made the remark, noted
that ACF will soon give directives on which candidate the North should
vote for.

Coomasie, while speaking with New Telegraph, said Nigerians should
wait for the voice of the ACF, stressing that those speaking "are on
their own."

According to the former Inspector General of Police, "In 2015, I was
the champion of the whole process.

"We said that leadership must come back to the north and we said that
any party that nominated a northerner, we would support the person and
the party.

"Then APC nominated President Buhari and then I came out to say that
we would support him and we did support him.

"So, it is now left for him and his political party. So, let us wait
and see. Because until his political party decides to give him the
ticket or not, it is too early to say what will happen or not. If his
party decides to renominate him, then we can talk".

Commenting on groups which passed vote of no confidence on the
President, Coomasie said, "Those groups are on their own, and that is
why ACF issued a rejoinder to that effect. So, ACF is standing by that
rejoinder. For what are they, the Alpha and Omega?

"ACF is the Umbrella organisation of all northern groups and
organisations. So, you have to wait until ACF talks.

"Even though it is too early for me to comment on President Buhari's
re-election bid, let me say that it is his constitutional right to
contest for the presidency of this country just like he did in 2015.

"He has the right to contest and nobody can stop him. If you remember,
former President Olusegun Obasanjo tried to stop him and we said it
was wrong for Obasanjo to stop him and he should not. Let us leave the
man to decide for himself and he has now decided that he wants to
contest.

"In 2015, it was after the APC gave him the ticket that we came out to
talk. And we decided to support him. But for now, the time is too
early".