The Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) has urged the Northern voters not to vote along religious, ethnic and political party lines in the 2023 general election.
CNG, in a Communique issued at the end of a two-day retreat of CNG, by its Spokesperson Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, urged Northerners to ask those seeking their votes to provide comprehensive programmes for the development of the region and promotion of their interests.
The communique read; “Resisting the temptation to vote sole across a political party, region, tribe or religious basis and instead, choose to install a credible leadership that could see the nation through and out of its current situation, from if needs be, even the so-called peripheral parties.
“Demand urgent government explanation on what is inhibiting the ability of Nigerian armed forces to effectively tackle the insurgent threat in the North East, banditry and kidnappings in the northwest as well as respond to the secessionist violence in the Southeast, oil bunkering in the Niger Delta, the conflict in the north-central, and the threat of maritime piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.
“Warn of the imminent dangers of neglecting millions of our fellow citizens who are internally displaced and hundreds of thousands of orphans, with hunger and malnourishment, previously unknown in our land becoming alarming features of existence.
“Warn that dealing with this humanitarian disaster will require a stronger political will and deployment of the highest administrative and managerial competencies. Recognize that the simultaneous challenges of continuing the fight against Boko Haram, rehabilitating IDPs and rebuilding lives, communities and infrastructure will require the best in leadership capacities.
“Warn that the current quality of coordination of efforts, management of skills and resources and the capacities and integrity of government agencies do not do justice to the magnitude of the problems, or address the sense of urgency in dealing with an escalating disaster.
“Demand government to overhaul the existing institutional mechanisms involved in dealing with the management of the humanitarian disaster before the problem becomes much worse than it is”, it read.
