As the race for the number one seat in the country heats up, a group under the aegis of Northern Elder’s Assembly has called on President Goodluck Jonathan to respect the zoning arrangement of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which zoned the presidency to the North till 2015.
The chairman, who made this known at a one-day conference organized by the group in Abuja, averred that the North is not afraid of the plan to jettison the zoning arrangement, which was initiated, to allow power equation to spread to other parts of the country.
In his speech the chairman stated that, “when president Obasanjo was about to complete his term, he embarked on a scheme to perpetuate his tenure which thankfully collapsed. His attempt to install another southerner was equally forestalled before the emergence of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua from the north which then pacified the polity, adding that “the the demise of the president should not be an opportunity for Obasanjo to take this nation through another trauma.”
The chairman further stated that the president is acting out the dictates of Obasanjo; hear him, “we regret that President Jonathan is falling for chief Obasanjo’s bait. Let me make it clear, the north is not afraid of the plan to jettison the zoning arrangement which is intited to allow dthe power equation to spread to other parts of the country.”
The chairmen then called on President Jonathan not to heed the calls of those calling for him to contest.
“I wish to call on President Jonathan to leave an indelible mark in his current position and quite while the ovation is loudest. This is a golden opportunity he should not be deceived into shattering.
He should imbibe the rotation machinery of his party which suits the heterogeneous nature of the country,” he said.
Meanwhile a group of delegates from the 19 states of the North, under the aegis of Northern Elders Assembly has threatened to drag the People’s Democratic Party to court over zoning. The group which was chaired by Alhaji Bello Kirfi insisted that the PDP must respect the agreement in article 7(2)(c) and the resolution of the caucus meeting held in 2002.
In a communiqué issued at the end of its one day meeting in Abuja, the Northern Assembly described President Goodluck Jonathan’s purported ambition as ‘unhealthy’. They however advised him to ‘tow path of honour, integrity and patriotism’.
The group however threw its weight behind General Ibrahim Babangida led Northern Political Leaders’ Forum which had earlier insisted that zoning arrangement must be maintained and the next president must come from the north. It furthermore resolved to approach and encourage General Muhammadu Buhari and other political leaders from the north to participate in what it called ‘common interest’
The group congratulated House of Representatives for their support for the embattled Speaker of House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Dimeji Bankole and ‘views his (Hon. Bankole) travail as a continuation of the Obasanjo era of vindictive and selective persecution’.
The group did not spare Dr. Goodluck Jonathan as it described Jonathan’s fight against corruption as deceitful and insincere. It strongly condemn ‘the unjustifiable, insensitive and extravagant allocation of N10B to cater for a day’s 50th Anniversary Celebrations in a country where there is very little or no reason for such ceremonies as could be discerned from the massive unemployment of our youth, an alarming crime rate and general decay in infrastructure’.
The group urged the Federal Government to stop paying lip service to the Mambila Power Project and muster the necessary political will commence the project in earnest.


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The man should just shut up

if we drop sentiments and face the truth, what they said abt jonathan playing the script of obj is nothing but the gospel truth.
jonathan was the vice of the late yar adua under whom rule of law was the motto and ppl like ribadu and el rufai became uncomfortable that they flew the country.
instead of of jonathan continuing what his boss started, he went back to the era of of thugs which gave room to the presidential welcome to those who refused to honour court invitations.
obj is using jonathan for his dangerious games but am afraid jonathan will pay the price.
nigerians known the truth and that truth will be made open one day.
the arrangement was supposed to be 8 yrs here and 8 yrs there so the idea of been clever is not a good one.

I think the Americans were off target in their prediction. It will rather come earlier than they predicted.

However, we will all regret such consequences.