M-Belt gives condition for supporting Northen presidency
National News Jun 19, 2010 By Luka Biniyat
A political group, Middle Belt Dialogue, has said that if the region should support the core North for 2011 presidency, then the president must be a Christian.
The group’s member and former Special Assistant to  ex President Obasanjo on National Assembly Matters on behalf of the group,  Jonathan Asake, said  “The  Middle Belt Dialogue is made up of all the ethnic nationalities of Northern Nigerian  that do not share the culture and believes of the Hausa/Fulani. We are not part of their drive for the kind of power transfer  they are looking for.

Yes! We  believe in power rotation. While the North believes in power shift at the National level, they hate to see power shift within the North. They have dominated all the political positions of the North  and never reflect the fact that there are huge percentage of ethnic  groups, mainly Christians in their states. They are free to canvass for power shift  in 2010, but we are not part of their struggle.

If, indeed they want the Middle Belt Dialogue to join, it would be on the ground that a Christian from a minority tribe of the North should be president.

“We are saying this, because 24 years of  Northern rule, in the hands of Hausa/Fulnai directly or indirectly,  have ruined this country and only improved the lives of these “leaders” who met in Abuja.

“If after 24 years of Northern rule, Nigerian remains one of the most backwards country in the world, then I don’t see how any intelligent person would ask for more.

“ All we want, is leader that would improve our wellbeing. If he comes from the South or North through credible elections, we will support the person. But power shift to the North as an arrangement, the Middle Belt is against it.”

From tribalism to regionalism and now to religion. Nigeria is finished.

roflmao!! What are other parties doing?

Shouldn't it be the best man should win?

Good Lord like someone said, Naija is finished.

Give me my Southern Nigeria Federation!

Fulanis arrived in the Northern area and conquered the Hausas. Hausas and Fulani had historically been separate people

I quite agree with this assertion.If not a northern christian,then Jonathan can continue in 2011.We've had enough.

The rotational thing has not been fair at all. Who are the Northerners? Are they only the Hausa Fulanis? What about the Angas, the Katafs, the tangales,Biroms,and so many northern minorities?

The minority groups can always form their own party and send out a candidate to run against the PDP candidate. All this "WE ARE MARGINALIZED/WE ARE VICTIMS BECAUSE WE BELONG TO THE MINORITY ETHNIC GROUPS" nonsense needs to end. If you do not like how the other party is doing things and want your own person on the ballot, then unite and send your own candidate already.

Ha ha ha the begining of the End

everyone shld just form their own freakin country and then everyone would be happy

north is north.maybe i am yet to confirm if yakubu gowon who spearheaded the unwarranted massacre of thousands of eastern and midwestern nigerians in 1966,after which he ruled for 9 consecutive years is a christian from the so-called middlebelt.

Abagworo:

north is north.maybe i am yet to confirm if yakubu gowon who spearheaded the unwarranted massacre of thousands of eastern and midwestern nigerians in 1966,after which he ruled for 9 consecutive years is a christian from the so-called middlebelt.

That is as naive as one can get when it comes to Nigerian regional system. Since when did North become just North and south stay divided into several regions? How can you want fairness and equality when you are all too willing to deny it others?

Kobojunkie:

The minority groups can always form their own party and send out a candidate to run against the PDP candidate. All this "WE ARE MARGINALIZED/WE ARE VICTIMS BECAUSE WE BELONG TO THE MINORITY ETHNIC GROUPS" nonsense needs to end. If you do not like how the other party is doing things and want your own person on the ballot, then unite and send your own candidate already.

As usual, your contributions are always very theoretical. . . . . . never practical! Always detached from the reality on ground.
In a country where the largest ethnic group which has ruled and ruined for 75% of the time. . . is still clamoring for a comeback on the strength of some sick zoning formula that was agreed upon by a maximum of maybe 20-30 people. . . . in that same country, you area asking the minority groups to form a political party! How practical!
Its seems your natural default position on political issues is a bit faulty. Try to connect a little bit with practicalities.

PapaBrowne:

As usual, your contributions are always very theoretical. . . . . . never practical! Always detached from the reality on ground.
In a country where the largest ethnic group which has ruled and ruined for 75% of the time. . . is still clamoring for a comeback on the strength of some sick zoning formula that was agreed upon by a maximum of maybe 20-30 people. . . . in that same country, you area asking the minority groups to form a political party! How practical!
Its seems your natural default position on political issues is a bit faulty. Try to connect a little bit with practicalities.

Na wa ooh!! We are in a democracy and have been for almost 12 years. The North started their own turn WITHIN the PDP in 2007 with the selection of Yar adua as their candidate of choice. Yar adua went on to win the presidency(thanks to INEC) and due to circumstances beyond him, his presidency ended earlier than he, and probably the PDP North may have wanted it to.
We find ourselves now in election year, and the PDP NORTH states their turn is not over, which based on the PDP Party’s agreement is likely the case. But YOU ARE HERE RAMBLING ABOUT WHAT?

Are there no Southern members of the same PDP Partner? Is Jonathan himself not a PDP member? Was he not aware of this agreement when he joined the party? Why are you now arguing as if it all caught you unawares? What exactly is the new revelation in all this?
And what exactly is impractical about urging minority groups, many of whom probably make up less than 0.5% of the population of the nation as a whole, to form a party of their own and build up from there rather than continue to whine that they are MALIGNED by the MAJORITY in a DEMOCRACY? THINK! THINK! THINK!!!!

Look to the APGA for example of how it ought to work rather than dismissing it all as being IMPRACTICAL when there are already groups out there doing exactly the same. Since when did the PDP become Nigeria and PDP agreement replace the Nigerian constitution? We need to start using our brains more rather than letting our sentiments run the show over and over.

PapaBrowne:

As usual, your contributions are always very theoretical. . . . . . never practical! Always detached from the reality on ground.
In a country where the largest ethnic group which has ruled and ruined for 75% of the time. . . is still clamoring for a comeback on the strength of some sick zoning formula that was agreed upon by a maximum of maybe 20-30 people. . . . in that same country, you area asking the minority groups to form a political party! How practical!
Its seems your natural default position on political issues is a bit faulty. Try to connect a little bit with practicalities.

roflmao.what practical are you talking about cuz me no understand o.ok practicalise this one,would you have the same disposition if jonathan were a yoruba man.

Ok Kobojunkie! Here, you are detaching again from practicalities!!
Let me ask you a simple question. If there was a zoning formula in PDP all along, how come in 2003, Solomon Lar and Abubakar Rimi, both Northerners ran in the primaries and were officially allocated votes. How come Southerners like Rochas Okorocha ran in the 2007 primaries and went ahead and officially was declared by the PDP leadership scored the second highest votes after YarAdua?? Why are we deceiving ourselves??
OBJ claims there was no agreement and I believe him because as at the time the PDP was formed, the man was probably still in jail or just getting out. So all this nonsense talk of agreement is for the ears of those without a thinking faculty of their own.
Sincerely, my number one choice for presidency in 2011 is a northerner(El Rufai) but if at all, then it has to come via merit and not under some silly zoning formula agreed upon by 20-30 old hags who have r.a.p.ed. this country dry for way too long.
As regards political parties, truth is that there is no national political party in the country asides PDP. The rest are just paper tigers and in the freeest and fairest elections PDP would still carry the day.

Kobojunkie:

Na wa ooh!! We are in a democracy and have been for almost 12 years. The North started their own turn WITHIN the PDP in 2007 with the selection of Yar adua as their candidate of choice. Yar adua went on to win the presidency(thanks to INEC) and due to circumstances beyond him, his presidency ended earlier than he, and probably the PDP North may have wanted it to.
We find ourselves now in election year, and the PDP NORTH states their turn is not over, which based on the PDP Party’s agreement is likely the case. But YOU ARE HERE RAMBLING ABOUT WHAT?

Are there no Southern members of the same PDP Partner? Is Jonathan himself not a PDP member? Was he not aware of this agreement when he joined the party? Why are you now arguing as if it all caught you unawares? What exactly is the new revelation in all this?
And what exactly is impractical about urging minority groups, many of whom probably make up less than 0.5% of the population of the nation as a whole, to form a party of their own and build up from there rather than continue to whine that they are MALIGNED by the MAJORITY in a DEMOCRACY? THINK! THINK! THINK!!!!

Look to the APGA for example of how it ought to work rather than dismissing it all as being IMPRACTICAL when there are already groups out there doing exactly the same. Since when did the PDP become Nigeria and PDP agreement replace the Nigerian constitution? We need to start using our brains more rather than letting our sentiments run the show over and over.

~Bluetooth:

roflmao.what practical are you talking about cuz me no understand o.ok practicalise this one,would you have the same disposition if jonathan were a yoruba man.

Of Course I would have the same disposition anyday anytime. I have no time for all these tribal nonsense. El Rufai is a northerner and I will support him over 99.9 percent of any southerner that would run against him. So FYI, I would never make tribal choices, but meritorious ones.

PapaBrowne:

Ok Kobojunkie! Here, you are detaching again from practicalities!!
Let me ask you a simple question. If there was a zoning formula in PDP all along, how come in 2003, Solomon Lar and Abubakar Rimi, both Northerners ran in the primaries and were officially allocated votes. How come Southerners like Rochas Okorocha ran in the 2007 primaries and went ahead and officially as declared by the PDP leadership scored the second highest votes after YarAdua?? Why are we deceiving ourselves??

Oh!!!

Now you are taking to denying the existence of zoning agreement completely? ROFLMAO

Answer me these questions.
a) Is there currently a RULE/MANDATE within the PDP, or any of the other parties that practice this zoning system, that states that ONLY candidates from current eligible zones can step forward during the primaries? 

b) Why is NO ONE ELSE in the PDP party making the same claim you say OBJ has made of this agreement? Why do reports on this issue reporting that Jonathan WANTS to GET RID OF IT( implying the agreement - it does exist), and not Jonathan says ABSOLUTELY NO APPLICATION OF SUCH(a case where it never even existed).

Just answer that question with some SOLID evidence if you really believe the argument, which @mikeansy tried to offer earlier, but I told him does not fly since we mostly learnt back during the 2007 primaries how the PDP most likely worked its own zoning engine.

@Mikeansy even claimed that zoning started back in 2007 with Yar adua, but somehow missed how his own claim that ONLY candidates from selected zones can run during the primaries would actually mean he was wrong.

PapaBrowne:

OBJ claims there was no agreement and I believe him because as at the time the PDP was formed, the man was probably still in jail or just getting out. So all this nonsense talk of agreement is for the ears of those without a thinking faculty of their own.

So, suddenly, the man who helped engineer Yar adua’s ascent to presidency tells you that there was no agreement and suddenly he is voice of truth? Lol

PapaBrowne:

Sincerely, my number one choice for presidency in 2011 is a northerner(El Rufai) but if at all, then it has to come via merit and not under some silly zoning formula agreed upon by 20-30 old hags who have r.a.p.ed. this country dry for way too long.

Your number one choice is El Rufai? Then what is stopping you right now from voting for the man?

Again, we need to STOP giving so much power to our fears, especially fears of the PDP. This particular zoning ONLY APPLIES TO PDP MEMBERS, IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH NIGERIA AS A WHOLE and so we should stop BLOWING IT ALL out of proportion and in the end continuing to give power to the very same.

PapaBrowne:

As regards political parties, truth is that there is no national political party in the country asides PDP. The rest are just paper tigers and in the freeest and fairest elections PDP would still carry the day.

Again, what stops minority groups and any others from forming their own mini parties and getting their own people into the senate or the house of reps? NOTHING!

You claimed it impractical but I see no reason why the APGA, a minority group can have some representation in the senate but other groups not pool together to do the same. In fact it makes absolute sense that minority groups do all they can to take the senate and house next election so they have power, no matter who turns out to be president at the end of the day.

Not every group is going to get someone in to ASO rock at the end of the day, simply going by ETHNICITY. Matter of fact, I hope we never get that system in place. However if groups can build up to a point where we have more competition and a larger pool out there for the seat, then the chances will be higher that some brilliant person from a minority group can get into aso rock.