Babangida: Why zoning pact has to be kept
From Emmanuel Bello in and Chuks Okocha in Abuja, 06.26.2010
Sunday, June 27, 2010

Former President Ibrahim Babangida yesterday reiterated that the zoning agreement of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party must be respected “because Nigeria is in a peculiar situation that makes zoning inevitable.”





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Apparently reacting to President Goodluck Jonathan’s comments in Canada on Thursday in which the President said Nigeria is a country peopled by ethnic bigots “who reach out to their narrow cleavages when they cannot compete,” Babangida advised Jonathan to watch his utterances.

Babangida’s position, conveyed by his spokesperson, Kassim Afegbua noted further that the former military president was not in competition with any contender for the 2011 presidential election.

“Please, be informed that we are not in competition with anybody in 2011 presidential elections. Babangida is just in a class of his own. There is no nation in the whole world with peculiar features such as Nigeria. Given such scenario and reality, our method of power sharing, power distribution and representation has to be peculiar too,” said the statement.

Babangida’s statement said further that the issue of zoning or rotation was imperative “to keep the union stable in order to encourage and sustain developmental initiatives across board.”

“Nations work out models that suit their peculiarities. General IBB is a pan-Nigerian and given his stature as a statesman, you cannot possibly pigeon hole him into a regional leader. He only needs to ensure that the zones are well represented because any crisis in any one zone will affect the state of the union.

“You need political stability before you can talk about economic stability. Once any zone feels alienated, it would take away something from the sustainability, unity and oneness of the union.

“I feel unusually disturbed when highly educated Nigerians and lecturers discuss these issues with sentiment and biased considerations. It will help the state of our union if the zones feel a sense of belonging and not that of alienation,” said Babangida in the statement.

On his part, elder statesman and former presidential adviser to President Shehu Shagari, Tanko Yakassai, said: “It is unfortunate that of all people, it is President Goodluck Jonathan that is quoted of accusing fellow Nigerians as being ethnic bigots.”

Yakassai alleged that right from Jonathan’s inception as acting president and eventual confirmation as President, “he has been dancing to the dance of his ethnic nationality of Ijaws.”

“If Nigerians have now resorted to ethnic sentiments, it is because we are following the actions and utterances of the President. It is this presidential moral rectitude that is guiding ordinary Nigerians. If President Jonathan is ethnically biased, he is inevitably making other Nigerians tow his line of thought.

“Immediately he became the President, he appointed someone from his Bayelsa State in the person of the Dezeani Alison Madueke as the Minister of Petroleum Affairs, which is the mainstay of the economy. What did she do, she went on to recognise the Ministry and NNPC, where over 50 percent of the key positions were given to people from her (ethnic nationality) and the President’s area,” Yakassai alleged.

He said the Northern Elders Forum should be congratulated because in whatever they did, all the ethnic tribes of the north like the Kanuri, Nupe, Gwari, Fulani and Hausas were usually accommodated.

“This is unlike what is happening in Jonathan’s Ijaw National Congress where the Ibibio, Urhobos and others are not accommodated,” Yakassai said.

Similarly, chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum, Gen. IBM Haruna upbraided Jonathan, noting that his comment was insensitive.

“Well, I don’t think Nigerians are scared of competition outside their ethnic groups or similar sentiment. Politics is about interests in the first place and people must be able to define those interests. It is like in a football match; there are teams. In politics too, people must define their identity before anything else because they are the basis on which the scarce resources are shared,” Haruna said.

Jonathan said, “we are a country where our leaders tend to play tribal sentiments, saying I am from the south south; I am from North West; I am North, I’m South, I am a Muslim and I am a Christian. All these are selfish motives to make people who probably cannot compete with others, to use these sentiments.”

Jonathan’s statement on Thursday in Canada is generally viewed as an attack on the various groupings who have recently backed retention of the zoning arrangement.

Over a hundred northern leaders recently converged on Abuja to demand that the zoning arrangement by the PDP be respected by all the stakeholders.

Also, prominent northern elders recently met and demanded that Jonathan must abide by the pact.

Furthermore two separate rallies in support and in condemnation of zoning would be held today in Bauchi.

While many politicians in the North insist on the zoning formula, pro- Jonathan forces are said to be working round the clock to scuttle it.



http://odili.net/news/source/2010/jun/27/254.html

Babangida is a rogue nigerian not a pan nigerian and i hope he drops dead tragically.

Ignored. Nobody should reply, sorry

One 1:

Ignored. Nobody should reply, sorry

Why shouldnt anyone reply? You love the murderous General and his actions? You seek that he returns to deal ur country more catastrophic blows?

One 1:

Ignored. Nobody should reply, sorry 

The more u guys take this guy or bit-ch seriously,the more he/she derives joy in  negative connotations.You guys should focus on miscreat IBB not the headline.

If actually ojukwu thinks high of ibb,then he too is deluded.

redsun:

The more u guys take this guy or bit-ch seriously,the more he/she derives joy in  negative connotations.You guys should focus on miscreat IBB not the headline.

If actually ojukwu thinks high of ibb,then he too is deluded.

Negative connotations! Seeems to me like kinfolk been itching to use those words since the beginning of time. Did I write the article? Am I any of the actors? So, why the anger at me! And u dare to call urself a biyytch; well, wuteva rocks ur boat! And u say "if" Ojukwu thinks high of IBB! Biyytch, he endorsed IBB as ur next President and some! HE PROMISED HIM THE VOTES OF THE WHOLE IBO NATION come next elections, so dont try to play dumb now u freaking billy-goat!

http://www.saharareporters.com/articles/external-contrib/6074-babangida-2011-ojukwus-alleged-endorsement-is-imprudent.html

bk/babe97:

Negative connotations! Seeems to me like kinfolk been itching to use those words since the beginning of time. Did I write the article? Am I any of the actors? So, why the anger at me! And u dare to call urself a biyytch; well, wuteva rocks your boat! And u say "if" Ojukwu thinks high of IBB! Biyytch, he endorsed IBB as your next President and some! HE PROMISED HIM THE VOTES OF THE WHOLE IBO NATION come next elections, so dont try to play dumb now u freaking billy-goat!

http://www.saharareporters.com/articles/external-contrib/6074-babangida-2011-ojukwus-alleged-endorsement-is-imprudent.html

Who on this forum doesn't know that stone age man reasoning is way ahead of yours,apart from your likes?

redsun:

Who on this forum doesn't know that stone age man reasoning is way ahead of yours,apart from your likes?

Sure! Did u even make sense? Anyways, your Ibo-man attempts of trying to divert from the real issues at hand aint holding water here. If u cant contribute to the topic, bounce. Or if u wanna beef, then create another thread and I'll gladly meet u there, and we can settle wutevea differences we got. But for now the issue is : THE MAN OJUKWU ENDORSED AS THE NEXT PRESIDENT IS THREATNING  THE CURRENT PRESIDENT!!! Wut is your opinion on that?!?!!

bk/babe97:

Sure! Did u even make sense? Anyways, your Ibo-man attempts of trying to divert from the real issues at hand aint holding water here. If u cant contribute to the topic, bounce. Or if u wanna beef, then create another thread and I'll gladly meet u there, and we can settle wutevea differences we got. But for now the issue is : THE MAN OJUKWU ENDORSED AS THE NEXT PRESIDENT IS THREATNING  THE CURRENT PRESIDENT!!! Wut is your opinion on that?!?!!

My opinion is that u are more daft than the men in question and therefore u should remove the specks in ur eyes first because people like u have nothing to offer a society but spite,hate,disunity and backwardness.

Your mind is undeveloped and that is why i said the stone age man was better than u because in his own rights,he was a progressive thinker.

One 1, I agree with you. Ignore! Ignore! Ignore! Ignore! Ignore.  

He/She doesn't seem to have an substantive issue that will elevate our collective discourse discuss except "Ojukwu" "Biafra" "Igbos"

All those who fought against Ojukwu and Biafra are either dead or living dead.

All the tribes who joined the North against Biafra have become tragic victims of Nigeria.

Ignore! Ignore! Ignore! Ignore!

History of Nigeria has already passed a verdict one who was on the wrong and right side of Biafra.

Uchek:

One 1, I agree with you. Ignore! Ignore! Ignore! Ignore! Ignore.  

He/She doesn't seem to have an substantive issue that will elevate our collective discourse discuss except "Ojukwu" "Biafra" "Igbos"

All those who fought against Ojukwu and Biafra are either dead or living dead.

All the tribes who joined the North against Biafra have become tragic victims of Nigeria.

Ignore! Ignore! Ignore! Ignore!

History of Nigeria has already passed a verdict one who was on the wrong and right side of Biafra.

I have never seen a negative creature like the poster,he is so miserably spiteful.

@Redsun, Uchek, and One1

Psychos! Why must every issue turn to Biafra?! dO u now see that yall delusional? The issue is Gen Babaginda; talk about the topic or go jump in a creek full of hungry crocs!

opinion is that u are more daft than the men in question and therefore u should remove the specks in your eyes first because people like u  have nothing to offer a society but spite,hate,disunity and backwardness.Your mind is undeveloped and that is why i said the stone age man was better than u because in his own rights,he was a progressive thinker.

WORD!

BK fagg, from ur posts it is clear what side of idiocy u ar on. I can see you drooling as you post these disgusting posts that " mean so much to you". As mekusyxx told you in a former post where you solicited sex from him, ' go fu.nck billy the dog.azzole.

with the situation in nigeria, neither jonathan nor ibb is qualified to rule nigeria.
no matter how good jonathan appears to be, his destruction will surely come from the ppl he is working with.
if jonathan does not mind his steps, he may end up like soludo in the case of anambra state.
a goat can never be friend with lions.