The Southern and Middle Belt Leaders’ Forum (SMBLF), comprising Afenifere, Middle Belt Forum, Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) and Ohanaeze Ndigbo, rose from an extraordinary meeting, yesterday, declaring support for Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his running mate, Ahmed Datti, for the 2023 general elections.
At the meeting, held at Wells Carlton Hotel, Asokoro, Abuja, the immediate past President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo and former Minister of Information, John Nwodo, read a communique issued by the coalition.
He said members of the Forum would work assiduously in their various constituencies to promote objectives agreed upon and ensure they are realised for the progress of Nigeria.
Declaring that Peter Obi is “the rock upon which Nigeria will stand,” the Forum warned “all those who want to change the hands of the clock of Nigeria by doing anything that will derail a peaceful transition to the next civilian government of this country, that we shall rise like one man in defense of the ballot box and that Nigerians must go to vote.
“This we have resolved today, and we enjoin other Nigerians who do not belong to our organisation to join us in realising this.”
The Forum added: “We give our unalloyed vote of thanks to our father and leader, Chief Edwin Clark, for his boldness, his sagacity, his tenacity and his relentlessness in pursuing the aims and aspirations of this organisation.”
