He cited the example of Kwara State, saying that “In Kwara State, you see that Saraki is leaving, because the Nigerian constitution allows for two tenure, but, of course, the younger sister is contesting. If the party has zoned the position, definitely, somebody from that senatorial district cannot contest, except the younger sister is from a different senatorial district.

odili is talking of zoning now because he wants to be VP but he contested against yaradua

[size=13pt]Atiku, IBB, Saraki Fault President’s Claims[/size]

Former Vice-President and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential aspirant, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has said President Goodluck Jonathan’s claim on zoning is “ludicrous”.
Also, former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida, in his reaction, said it smacks of dishonesty and lack of integrity to say that the presidency is not zoned in PDP.

Meanwhile, Kwara State Governor Bukola Saraki has also said PDP will decide who will eventually become the party’s governorship flag bearer in the state and that the party will provide a level-playing field to all aspirants.
He was referring to President Jonathan’s reference to a situation where Senator Gbemi Saraki-Fowora, the governor’s sister, is running for the gubernatorial election after Saraki’s two terms as a demonstration of his claim that there is no zoning at the governorship and presidential levels in PDP.

Atiku said: “It is either President Jonathan is not a member of PDP or is living in denial of the same principle of zoning which saw to his emergence as vice-president in 2007.”
He said for the avoidance of doubt, the position on zoning and power rotation in PDP constitution was borrowed from the federal character provision of the 1999 Constitution as amended.

Atiku said zoning was the foundation of the party and referred President Jonathan to Section 7 (2) (C) of the PDP Constitution, which states: “In pursuance of the principle of equity, justice and fairness, the party shall adhere to the policy of rotation and zoning of party and public elective offices and it shall be enforced by the appropriate executive committee at all levels.”
He promised to mail a copy of the party’s constitution to the president.
Babangida said: "The president's attention should be drawn to Section 229 of the report of the 1995 Constitutional Conference which talks about rotation of political offices including that of president and governors, from where the PDP derives its inspiration to include zoning to its constitution.”

In a statement by his Director of Media and Communication, Prince Kassim Afegbua, the former military president said: "Refer the president again to the meeting of Expanded Caucus of PDP in 2002 in which 47 persons including President Jonathan, then the deputy governor of Bayelsa State, voted for zoning out of 51 persons present, where it was decided that zoning should be the order between the North and South.
"At that meeting, President Jonathan was number 34 on the attendance list. Refer the President again to Section 7 (2) (c) of the PDP constitution, which is still subsisting. All these were the steps taken to ensure that zones are used to maintain stability and unity of the country.

“Anyone trying to be opportunistic by saying there was no zoning lacks integrity and honesty, which are the hallmarks of a true leader. Those fouling zoning today are themselves beneficiaries of the PDP zoning formula. It is bad and wicked politics to change the goalpost in the middle of the game."
[b]Saraki said it was unfortunate for the president to make the claim on Kwara, which he described as factually incorrect.
He said: “Mr. President should refer to the statement by the Kwara State PDP Chairman regarding who will fly the gubernatorial ticket of PDP in Kwara State. It would be recalled that the State Chairman, Alhaji Yusuf Ayedun, stated that the party would provide a level playing ground for all aspirants in the state.

“As a result, half a dozen candidates from across all the zones are known to have picked their expression of interests and gubernatorial forms. Thus, as we are insisting at the national level, we are also committed to due process about respecting party decisions at states and at all levels. This is what we are calling all PDP aspirants to do—to respect agreements and party decisions.

”It is therefore both unfair and unfortunate for the president to have made this factually incorrect allegation. And in any case, the distribution of political positions in Kwara State over the years, even before PDP entrenched the principle in [/b]its constitution, has been guided by fairness, equity and even spread. The first two democratically elected governors of the state were from Kwara South, followed by one from Kwara North, and two from Kwara Central.”

himor:

it was decided that zoning should be the order between the North and South lol---- what about the east, there are not part of Nigeria men of enlightement who have ear should hear this ''time bomb ''

~Bluetooth:

What does jonathan knows about pdp that he's yarning rubbish ? He had never been anybody in pdp but just an opportunist right from his days as deputy governor.so he should just keep shut when those that know more than him about pdp affairs are talking.what contribution did he make to the party when the days were rough or how the party grew to become what it is now. silly opportunist

na_so:

Oga go siddon for gutter. Attack GEJ's argument instaed of coming here to tell us he was a nobody. Another question is, if zoning is to be retained, should it not remain in UMYA's North west zone? why is atiku ,saraki and IBB shouting zoning, when if followed already disqualifies  them?

~Bluetooth:

What does jonathan knows about pdp that he's yarning rubbish ? He had never been anybody in pdp but just an opportunist right from his days as deputy governor.so he should just keep shut when those that know more than him about pdp affairs are talking.what contribution did he make to the party when the days were rough or how the party grew to become what it is now. silly opportunist

~Bluetooth:

Siddon inside gutter ke ? What has jonathan got to say that we've not heard before ? His long throat is only heating the polity,it's the decision of the north to deal with the case of consensus candidate among themselves.

~Bluetooth:

What arguement ??

keyiwon:

What do u know about the PDP apart from what you hear from external news source? What was Atiku's contribution or that of IBB to PDP whenever? I want to believe you're educated if not leave intellectual discuss for those who are.


Again this shows you must have a personal 'beaf' for the President, I'll advice you to get in touch with his publicists or anyone close to him to express your grievance and not on this noble forum.

na_so:


You  wan register for comprehension class? If you no understand wetin GEJ talk, you for don talk so since, wey come dey waste man time.

Dede1:

I pray for quick disintegration of the cesspit called Nigeria. Even a man who claimed to have Phd is setting the truth on its head. Mr. GEJ, it is hypothesis before theorem and also policy before process. I now believed Nigeria is worse than thought.

We should remove quota system on the officer cadets heading to NDA and re-introduce it when selecting the NCOs. Does this scenario represent the ridiculous quota system and federal character which GEJ continues to support?

GEJ looks imbecilic trying to defend his flouting section 7-2C of PDP constitution. I do not weep for Nigeria rather I pray for its death.