By Emeka Mamah, Kaduna
The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) says President Goodluck Jonathan should stop linking the north with the spate of bomb blasts in parts of the country and contended that the Federal government should take measures to address the socio-economic problems social injustice in the nation.

“The north cannot stoop so low to the level of inviting suicide bombers or engage in terrorism,” ACF National Publicity Secretary, Anthony Sani, said in an interview with journalists yesterday in Kaduna.

According to him, “the north is struggling for its own right with courage and hope and we will use democratic process and no northerner will engage in suicide bombings.”

He accused Jonathan of betraying the trust reposed on his position following Jonathan’s decision to contest the forthcoming presidential elections.

Sani said, “if you look at the position of ACF legally and morally we  are saying the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) should be able to obey its laws and Mr. President as embodiment of national value and ideal is not in a position or is not at liberty to breach the Constitution.

“So, how can we ever trust the President again? How do we trust a President who  can jettison an agreement of his party and the Constitution at will? How do we trust him?

“When he gives us the manifesto, how do we believe that he will implement it? So you have to look at it seriously where ACF is coming from. The issues go beyond partisanship. It is even wrong for Nigerians to leave the issue of this Presidency to the PDP alone, it goes beyond that.”

On the link between the north and terrorist activities, Sani said, “anybody who will do that does not even believe in the concept of the north, he does not believe in the concept of Nigeria. As a proper northerner, he will never go into such things.”

“But I want to assure you that the north will not go into bombing to ensure that justice is done to it. And I want to say that we know how to address our problems. When we get there we will know how to go about the dialogue in a peaceful manner.”

The ACF scribe also spoke on the recent comment credited to the former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, on the need for government to pursue agenda of social justice in the country.

As Sani put it, “yes, Atiku said those who will make peaceful change difficult will make violence inevitable.

“Let me tell you this quotation didn’t come from him for the first time, it came from Late John Kennedy of America. Let me tell you if you force people and force injustice into the system, mind you injustice and national security don’t go together. All that Atiku was saying was right”.

“He is not the first person who invented the quotation. And people just understood him out of isolation and forgot that Edwin Clark said worst things. They forgot that Anneni of recent said that anybody from the south who voted against the PDP will be fished out and dealt with. All these statements are violence inducing”.

“And I can also go ahead and say that the Minister of Information from my state said that if you don’t vote Jonathan there will not be Nigeria. Nobody find a fault in what these people were saying. Atiku did not even describe it more concrete, let me tell you, if you perpetrate injustice, the result of injustice is violence”.

“That is another way to put it, and they want to crucify him. Are you people saying you want grave yard  peace. I have never seen what Atiku has done wrong as far as Iam concerned. Because more people on the part of Jonathan has said worst things and nobody said anything. Is that a sense of justice? Look, at what is happening in the PDP today.”