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The Arewa
Consultative Forum (ACF) has congratulated the President-elect,
Goodluck Jonathan over his victory in the just-concluded general
elections.

The forum has also condemned the call for the abolition of the National Youth Service Corps scheme (NYSC).

The ACF had
earlier opposed the candidacy of Mr Jonathan and the jettisoning of the
zoning arrangement of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), insisting
that the North should be allowed to complete its second term based on
the zoning arrangement.

In a communiqué
issued at the end of the meeting of the National Working Committee
(NWC) chaired by the chairman, Aliko Mohammed yesterday in Kaduna, the
body congratulated all the state governors, members of the National
Assembly as well as State Assembly members for their successes at the
polls.

The communiqué
signed by the National Publicity Secretary Anthony Sani, also commended
the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC),
Attahiru Jega for conducting what the forum described as “elections
that have been generally adjudged by both the local and international
observers to be better than previous elections.” “As to the losers, the
forum congratulated them for their spirited efforts in providing the
electorate with alternative platforms needed in a democracy, since
democracy without opposition is a sham.

“Losers should,
therefore, be magnanimous in defeat and seek redress through due
process of law where it is absolutely necessary. Victors on the other
hand should recognise the fact that governance is an art of balancing
competing demands among constituent parts of the united whole.” The
group continued, “While condemning the killings of some NYSC members
who were victims of the violence in some parts of the country, it is
the considered opinion of ACF that the NYSC scheme should not be
abolished. This is precisely because the ideas of fostering national
unity which informed the establishment of NYSC are still relevant.

“What is more,
scrapping NYSC is as good as saying people should not settle outside
their states of origin. Therefore, NYSC scheme should be retained and
spirited efforts be made to ensure the security of members.”

“The forum also
called on victors from the just concluded elections to have a realistic
appreciation of the circumstances of their emergence and make
consciously direct efforts by bringing Nigerians together and enable
them to unleash their synergy by way of living up their collective
challenges.

“This is very necessary because no nation thrives on the victory of
its factions but through their ultimate reconciliations. And in order
to make the desired results come to pass, governments must be peopled
by those with vision, conviction, public intelligence and with
patriotic courage needed to tell power not just what it wants to hear
but also what it needs no hear.” ACF emphasised.