Story planted by PDP presidential aspirant || Contrary to reports in most national dailies yesterday (excluding Leadership), northern governors did not vote on the raging controversial issue of zoning.

Most newspapers had reported yesterday that, "by a vote of 10 to 8, northern governors had insisted that the zoning of the presidency to the north for the 2011 general elections must be sustained.

According to the reports, 10 state governors: Kwara, Niger, Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina, Kano, Jigawa, Gombe and Adamawa voted for power rotation to the north in 2011, while eight of them: Borno, Yobe, Taraba, Nasarawa, Benue, Kogi, Plateau and Kaduna voted against it.

However, some governors who attended the meeting told LEADERSHIP last night that there was no voting on the matter of zoning and that at no time of the meeting did they vote for or against zoning the presidency in 2011 elections.

“I am shocked about most newspapers’ reports today (yesterday).Where do they get their stories from? Whoever spun that story misled members of the public,” one of the governors stated.

“Apart from LEADERSHIP and one other newspaper that captured exactly what happened at our meeting, most of them got their stories wrong.”

Another governor from the North West said, like the true account of LEADERSHIP what the governors resolved was that zoning is a PDP affair, and that President Goodluck Jonathan had every right within the context of the 1999 constitution to contest the 2011 presidential election like every other qualified Nigerian.

“Read our communiqué; our position is very clear, we said, after collating report from the 19 northern states and exhaustive deliberation, we recognise the supremacy of the 1999 constitution as encapsulated in section 131 of the 1999 constitution,” the governor who doesn't want his name mentioned stated.

He added: “The section of the constitution provides for the qualification for election into the office of the president. And we acknowledged the right of President Goodluck Jonathan to legitimately and constitutionally contest the office of the president.”

One of the governors said the misleading story was planted by one of the PDP presidential aspirants from the north.

Some of the governors who spoke to LEADERSHIP also denied media reports about hot exchange of words between Governor Gabriel Suswam of Benue State and Governor Babangida Mu'azu Aliyu of Niger State.

“What happened was that Governor Aliyu of Niger State gave about 45 minutes to Governor Murtala Nyako to speak for zoning. He did not just speak for zoning, he was very vehement against President Goodluck Jonathan contesting the presidency in 2011,” one of the governors stated.

“After Governor Nyako has finished his submission, Governor Danbaba Suntai of Taraba State started speaking against zoning and when Aliyu wanted to cut him short, most governors protested and said Suntai should also be allowed to make his submission. "That was the only time some governors exchanged words."

Our source also said that the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP) governors present at the meeting were also against zoning.

The ANPP governors were quoted as telling their PDP colleagues who are interested in northern presidency to join ANPP because like in 2003, 2007 and 2009, they will also feed a northern candidate in 2011.

In a press statement by the Director of Press to Yobe State governor, Abdullahi Bego, Governor Ibrahim Gaidam distanced himself from the purported voting on zoning, explaining he never voted for or against zoning as the issue is “an entire PDP affair.”

According to him, “It is not a matter grounded in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It is a gentleman’s agreement of the PDP.

The governor who spoke with LEADERSHIP added that the meeting also resolved to go and consult widely with the people in their various states, all levels of the party to address the huge concern of all in the interest of peaceful co-existence and advancement of democracy in the nation.

The governor advised that as the nation approaches another crucial period of democracy, the electorate deserved a truthful and credible information from the media to enable them take good decisions politically.

"The media have a huge role to play in our anticipated free and fair election; they should beware of spin doctors and politicians that are to manipulate them for their selfish interest," the governor advised.

http://www.leadershipnigeria.com/news/cover-stories/18194-northern-govs-forum-we-never-voted-on-zoning