>
The Northern Elders Forum(NEF) has asked the President Muhammadu Buhari to step up and perform the functions for which he was elected.
Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, the NEF secretary stated this in an interview with newsmen in Abuja, on Wednesday.
He was reacting to an alarm raised by the Presidency, alleging that it had uncovered a plot by unnamed persons, to engineer an unconstitutional take over of the Buhari of the Buhari administration.
In a statement signed by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, Femi Adesina, on Tuesday, the Presidency said: “The Department of State Services, on Sunday, alerted on sinister moves by misguided elements to wreak havoc on the government, sovereignty and corporate existence of the country.
“Championed by some disgruntled religious and past political leaders, the intention is to eventually throw the country into a tailspin, which would compel a forceful and undemocratic change of leadership.”
In response to the statement by the Presidency, Baba-Ahmed said: “This is a very serious statement to make. We are talking of treason here. The Presidency has a duty to arrest and expose who it suspects are involved in this, instead of releasing statements that merely compound our very high levels of concern.
“This is not just about President Buhari. It is about our rights to choose who leads us. It is, to say the least, irresponsible to release these kinds of statements instead of taking steps to bring subversives and treason to book.”