2019 Presidency: Arewa Southern group roots for Bafarawa

A group of Northerners in the 17 Southern states under the aegis of Arewa Initiatives for Peaceful Co-existence in Southern Nigeria, yesterday in Lagos called on the former governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, to declare for presidency. The Lagos state coordinator, Alhaji Kabir Ali Dinar, who described Bafarawa as the “ray of hope” that would breathe new life into the nation’s politics, said members of the group have pleaded with Bafarawa to seek the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Speaking at a briefing yesterday, he said; “This is an association registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and we want to use this medium to call on Dr. Attahiru Bafarawa to come out and declare for presidential election”. According to him, members of the group were unanimous that the present administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has failed to meet the expectations of Nigerians, saying there is widespread poverty, insecurity all over the land. Also, the South-West chairman of the group, Alhaji Danlami Abubakar said the call on Bafarawa to contest for election was not driven by sectional or religious sentiments, saying, “We are calling on him to contest as a Nigerian”. One of the founding members of the group, Alhaji Shehu Usman, dismissed insinuations that Buhari is the only popular candidate in the north, saying Bafarawa would win a pan-Nigerian mandate if given the chance to contest under the PDP