The Coalition of Northern Elders has called for the arrest of Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi and his running mate, Senator Datti Baba-Ahmed.
The coalition made the demands in a communique issued at the end of its meeting held in Arewa House in Kaduna State which was tagged: “Convention of Arewa Elders.”
The communique signed by all participants in the meeting was read by Chairman of Gamji Heritage, Alhaji Suleiman Usman Jere.
The coalition said Nigerian security operatives must be alive to their responsibility, maintaining that nothing must stop the inauguration of President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu on May 29.
According to the coalition, Obi and Baba-Ahmed have been making inciting statements capable of disrupting the country’s democracy.
It maintained that their arrest would guarantee peace and unity of Nigeria..
The Arewa Elders also accused the LP candidate of promoting civil disobedience after losing the February 25 presidential election.
The communique partly read: “Particularly worrisome, are the pronouncements of Mr. Peter Obi and Mr. Datti Ahmed, the Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates of the Labour Party, as well as other Labour Party leaders including sources said to be linked to IPOB, ESN, which are known terrorist organisations.
“It is on record that Mr. Peter Obi engaged a very divisive ethno-religious campaign during the 2023 elections and has continued to brazenly display anti-democratic tendencies opting for civil disobedience and threats in place of constitutional means through the courts.
“We are calling on all our security agencies to be alive to their responsibilities. It amounts to treason for anybody to call for truncating our democracy by whatever guises, be it Interim National Government let alone the call for a military coup. Perpetrators must be arrested and be brought to book with immediate effect!
“Elections have been held and the winner has emerged. The people of the North massively voted for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in National interest.
“We are mindful of our voting and will stand firmly to protect our democracy. We remain committed to the May 29th swearing-in date in line with Nigeria’s constitutional provisions,” the coalition said.