The Presidency has described the Northern Elders’ Forum (NEF) as a mere mouthpiece of one man, Professor Ango Abdullahi, devoid of any credible membership.

In a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina on Sunday evening, the Presidency said the Nigerians know better and “don’t need a paper tiger’ to tell them anything”.

“Professor Ango Abdullahi on Sunday signed a statement and declared President Muhammadu Buhari a failure.

“The former vice chancellor signed the statement under the banner of Northern Elders Forum (NEF). Hearing that title, you would think the body was a conglomeration of true elders.

“But the truth is that NEF is just Ango Abdullahi, and Ango Abdullahi is NEF. It is a quasi-organization that boasts of no credible membership, and its leader is akin to a General without troops.

“Before the 2019 presidential election, the one-man army called NEF had shown its antipathy against President Muhammadu Buhari, and its preference for another candidate. They all got beaten together.

“NEF is merely waving a flag that is at half-mast. President Buhari steadily and steadfastly focuses on the task of retooling Nigeria, and discerning Nigerians know the true state of the nation. They don’t need a paper tiger to tell them anything,” the presidency said.