…says ‘I wasn’t consulted by its promoters’
Movement for Unity and Progress says a former military governor of the old Kaduna State, Col. Abubakar Umar, is not a member of a new political movement, the ‘National Consultative Forum.’
Umar, a social critic, is the Chairman of the Kaduna-based MUP.
NCF had, on Wednesday, announced its formation, naming the former governor and some other prominent Nigerians as members.
Umar was listed alongside a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Olisa Agbakoba; a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Na’abba; a former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank, Obadiah Mailafia; rights activist, Femi Falana (SAN), Obi Ezekwesili, among others.
But MUP in a statement on Friday by pone of its members, Chris Ephraim, on behalf of Col Umar, the former Kaduna governor dissociated himself from the new political group.
The MUP said that Umar neither attended the meeting of the group nor consulted before he was listed among other notable Nigerians as a member.
According to the statement, “A group under the auspices of select National Leaders of conscience met between Wednesday 27th May 2020 and Friday 12th June 2020 and issued a communique with the name of Col Abubakar Dangiwa Umar as one of the attendees and a member.
“Although Colonel Umar was made aware of attempts to invite him to the meeting, such attempts were unsuccessful.
“He, therefore, did not attend the meeting nor was he made aware of his membership.
“Colonel Umar does not wish to deny the group, whose membership includes persons he holds in high esteem. He, however, wished he was consulted before the publication that included his name.”