Arewa Youth Consultative Forum warn Tinubu to leave Saraki alone as he is an illustrious northern son

AREWA Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF) leaders have warned who they describe as a southwest political leader and his collaborators in the All Progressives Congress (APC) to leave senate president Senator Bukola Saraki alone.

Senator Saraki governed Kwara State between 2003 and 2011 and earlier this month, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) began investigating what happened during his tenure. Out of favour with the government, it is expected that Senator Saraki will be arrested and formally charged with corruption when his tenure ends on May 29 and a new senate president is elected.

Earlier this month, the EFCC sealed five choice properties located in high brow Ikoyi area of Lagos belonging to Senator Saraki and the agency is now in the process of approaching a court for an interim forfeiture order. Perturbed by the development, Senator Saraki took legal action and an Abuja high court ruled in his favour, ordering the EFCC the inspector-general of police and three other bodies to end their renewed probe of the senate president pending the determination of a substantive suit.

Adding its voice to the unfolding drama, the AYCF met in Lagos yesterday and issued a communique in which it cautioned a certain southwest political leader to steer clear of Senator Saraki and jettison the new plot to unleash EFCC and other anti-corruption agencies in order to intimidate the man. AYCF national president, Alhaji Yerima Shettima accused the Lagos-based political leader and some of his cronies in the corridors of power of planning to embarrass Senator Saraki using the government’s anti-corruption agencies and based on politically-motivated charges.

Alhaji Yerima noted that as much as the AYCF supports the war against corruption, it will resist any subtle attempt to hide behind politics to intimidate its sons in positions of authority. He also declared that the north had come of age and no one single Nigerian should determine the fate of prominent northerners in government.

Furthermore, the AYCF charged the southwest political leader and his associates to start whatever change process they want from their base as charity begins at home. Alhaji Yerima also stated that through the total dominance and manipulation of political and economic power, the southwest has badly short-changed the north, making its people irrelevant in the running of government for more than four years.

He added: “There is no way after cornering all the juicy federal government appointments and skewing development projects in favour of the southwest anyone will dare approach the north with the issue of seeking for presidency in 2023. That will be totally unacceptable.”

The group, Alhaji Yerima said, would use all legitimate avenues for resisting the manipulations of one man whose primary goal in life is the 2023 presidency. He added that they are assuring him that even that is no longer possible and is a waste of his resources because the country belongs to everyone.

In addition, the AYCF  told the said southwest political leader to bear in mind that Senator Saraki is their illustrious son in the north and they are proud that he did not turn his back on the people who voted him into power. Alhaji Yerima added: “This is our open, democratic declaration of caution, not just for meddlesome politician of the southwest but any politician outside the north who may want to dare us politically.”