ACF mobilises Northern Senators, Reps against single term

The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) is midwifing a number of strategic meetings aimed at tackling President Goodluck Jonathan’s proposal for a single term in office for executive office holders through the planned constitution amendment exercise.
Sources at a number of meetings held at the instance of the ACF on October 4 indicated that the North is determined to pull down the proposal whenever it surfaces at the National Assembly.
A meeting was also organised with the Northern caucus in the Senate, where issues relating to interests of the zone were discussed.
A source at that meeting confirmed that issues of the Petroleum Industry Bill(PIB), the Constitution amendment and the single term proposal were discussed at the meeting with the Senate caucus.
It was learnt that a meeting of a delegation of the ACF with the Northern caucus of the House of Representatives had last week decided on the need to block the single term proposal and ensure that certain policies of President Jonathan do not sail through at the legislature.
A source said that the caucus has also set up a 19-man tact team to x-ray all bills and even motions coming up on the floor of the House with a view to ensuring that all such bills and motions are washed clean of anti-North sentiments.
Sources confided in  Sunday Tribune that the North has identified some actions of President Jonathan as inimical and that plans are underway to stop those actions coming into fruition.
It was gathered that some Northern members of the House of Representatives have been compiling offences allegedly committed by the President with allegations that some South South candidates are being “planted” in certain areas.
At one meeting held in the office of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, shortly after a courtesy visit of the ACF, it was learnt that the North sees the Speaker as the only pillar of the North in the current administration and that members of the House of Representatives from the zone were told to put in all efforts to ensure his victory in June.
A source at the closed door meeting told Sunday Tribune thus: “The Northern caucus in the House has put in place a team of 19 experts, saddled with the responsibility of critically looking into any Bill that is before the House with a view to ensuring that its negative effect on the North is addressed before its eventual passage.”
One source stated that in that light, the North has x-rayed the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) which is seen to have been skewed against the North.Source