The Northern Elders Forum has dissociated itself from a statement on withdrawal of “food to South blockade” issued by its publicity director, Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed.
The position of the Forum is contained in a statement by its directors of mobilization, Nastura Shariff and made available to ASHENEWS on Saturday.
According to the Forum, the statement by Baba-Ahmed was written without due consultation and therefore his personal view.
“I write in my capacity as a Director in the Northern Elders Forum and one of its foundation members in regards to recent media statement by Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, NEF’s spokesperson purportedly on behalf of the Forum.
“Ican authoritatively say that the statement in which the personality of some individuals involved in the recent negotiations to resolve the food to South blockade issue was challenged, merely represents the personal view of the spokesperson, not that of NEF and made without due consultation.
“To the best of my knowledge, there has not been a time when the general assembly of the Forum met to take a decision to that effect since the conclusion of the negotiations.
“It is therefore unbecoming for one individual member to assume the sole ownership of the right to speak for a Forum that was painstakingly put together and managed without consultation with the general assembly.
“Regrettably this attitude had once led to a serious misunderstanding with one of our core founders in the past and should in no way be tolerated from anyone else.
“Unfortunately such overbearing attitude of using the platform of NEF to vent pent up personal political jealousies by the spokesperson has been on for a while to the irritation of other members,” the statement reads.
