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Zoning: Political Dynamite For The North? - Politics - Nairaland

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Zoning: Political Dynamite For The North? by Beaf: 12:49am On Jul 03, 2010
[size=14pt]Zoning: Political Dynamite For the North? [/size]
Written by Hassan Ibrahim
Saturday, 03 July 2010

Northern Bureau Chief, HASSAN IBRAHIM, writes on the political scheming embarked upon by some prominent elders from the North who converged on Kaduna to convince the Northern state governors on the need to support the zoning arrangement of the Peoples Democratic  Party(PDP) so that power will remain in the region till 2015.

Again, Kaduna on Thursday, appeared to have regained its historical status as the defunct capital of Northern Nigeria. For most part of the day, the situation in Sir Kashim Ibrahim House, the official seat of power in the old Crocodile city, was tense but peaceful as 15 of the 19 governors from the northern states met for over six hours to deliberate on issues about the North and Nigeria in general.

The absentee governors were also represented at the meeting. Topmost on their agenda, as newsmen were told, was the issue of whether or not to support the re-emergence of President Goodluck Jonathan in 2011 as president in spite of the fact that he hails from the South which, going by the contentious issue of zoning, had its fair share of power for eight years with Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, a Yoruba from the South-West, as President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.

Although analysts and other concerned members of the public continued to maintain that zoning was strictly an affair of the PDP, pointing out that Nigerians should not be made to be part of that covenant since not everybody is a member of the PDP, it is no longer news that the issue for now appears to be  threatening to tear the party apart as sources in the party said the matter was only discussed by the national caucus of the PDP and was never discussed, agreed and ratified at the national convention of the party. If this assertion is true, then the North and its chieftains in the party must have unknowingly fallen victim of a careful political game-plan executed by an intelligent clique within the party.

It was against this backdrop that shortly after the death of former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, the northern political class seemed to have woken up from its slumber and oil its machinery to fight for the retention of power. The emergence as president of one-time governor of Katsina State is, up till now, considered by a section of the northern elite as the result of another political calculation allegedly by erstwhile President Obasanjo to pave way for his favourite from the South-South region. In several political discourse in the North, it is not uncommon to hear people heaping blames on former military President, General Ibrahim Babangida, who they alleged, led the cabal that brought Obasanjo out from obscurity, empowered him and ensured that he became president.

The aftermath was, however, not conducive for the northern political class which, within the eight years of Obasanjo’s administration, struggled for survival and relevance in the scheme of things. The result was a visibly fragmented northern political class, divided loyalty among the elite and the hijack of political and regional groupings by the northern retired military class and their apologists.

With less than a year to 2011, the North is at a crossroads and no one could exactly tell where the president could come from. President Goodluck Jonathan has, for now, kept his ambition to his chest, but one could easily decode from his utterances that he may eventually opt for the Machiavellian principle. Power, they say, is sweet and only a fool will let it slip off his fingers. This, among other reasons, could be why the likes of General Ibrahim Babangida, General Muhammadu Buhari, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and others in the North have, in recent times, heightened their quest for the exalted office and are doing everything possible to make sure that the issue of zoning is respected, so that President Jonathan will embrace the Mandela option and step aside in 2011.

Although, those earlier mentioned were not present during the governors’ meeting, their representatives were there and took time to convince the governors on the need to support the zoning arrangement and by extension, the emergence of a northern president in 2011. They had no choice but to meet the governors and lobby, having realised the enormous powers the governors  wield in the current dispensation as was exemplified when they made sure that one of their own became the vice president.

The governors did not, however, take a stand on the issue, apparently because the northern elders could not form a united front before meeting them. Sadly, to the region, a section among them led by pioneer chairman of PDP, Chief Solomon Lar, was operating on a different wavelength which could be very inimical to northern interest, but might go a long way in enhancing the bond of unity and friendship across the nation.

The North is now divided over zoning. Although newsmen were told that the governors would be coming out with their position on zoning before the end of July, only time shall tell how this matter will make or mar the political ambition of many northern heavyweights, including those currently enjoying leadership positions at the national level.

The 19 governors failed to take a position on the contentious issue at their meeting on Friday at the Government House, Kaduna. A source had said “Two delegations of northern leaders holding conflicting views on the issue  – Northern Elders’ Political Forum led by former Inspector-General of Police, M. D. Yusufu and another group headed by elderstatesman and former national chairman of the party, Chief Lar – presented their positions separately to the governors at the meeting.”

In the end, the governors, in a communiqué, resolved to go back to their states and consult more with stakeholders on zoning. They are to meet again on July 22. Each of the two groups of the northern leaders took turns to discuss zoning with the governors. While the Northern Elders’ Political Forum is canvassing for the retention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) zoning formula, which means power should return to the North by 2011, the Lar group said to be pro-President Goodluck Jonathan is saying Jonathan from the South-South geo-political zone can run next year.”

The governors, in a communiqué read by Babangida Aliyu, said: “We looked at one very important issue that has become a national concern and we noted that zoning was conceptualised with the best interest of Nigeria at heart, whereby the candidate for the presidency will move North to South, and we know that it is an excellent way to resolve many problems and ensure the unity and progress of our people.

“We note that this issue has been generating a lot of problems and many people have been discussing it. We encourage this discussion to continue so that an amicable solution can be arrived at. However, beyond zoning, we know the importance of producing competent and performing leadership for the country.”

For now, observers of political happenings in the North said the meeting was a good development because the two opposing camps, in respect to zoning, were identified. Since politics is about interest, lobby and consensus, it is not too late for both camps to go back to the drawing board and apply diplomacy to woo each other in furtherance of their various interest and goals.

http://www.tribune.com.ng/sat/index.php/politics-analysis/1453-zoning-political-dynamite-for-the-north.html

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