Fresh facts emerged on Sunday that intense pressure from the Presidency on northern governors clamouring for zoning and fear of the unknown made them to buckle, and attend President Goodluck Jonathan’s presidential declaration on Saturday.



A top Presidency source, who disclosed this on Sunday, explained that Jonathan spoke to the governors one by one, both on the telephone and in person in the Presidential Villa, Abuja before the declaration.



The President, it was gathered, appealed to their emotions, reminding each of them that he was once a governor like them before he left Bayelsa State for Abuja in 2007.



Also, Vice-President, Alhaji Namadi Sambo, was said to have held private discussions with each of the governors for a change of heart.



“The result of these series of meetings was what people witnessed with the governors attendance and the unprecedented crowd of last Saturday,” the Presidency source said.



At the Northern governors meeting in Kaduna on July 27, 2010, about 10 governors, eight of which were PDP governors, voted in favour of the retention of the Peoples Democratic Party zoning principle.



The pro-zoning governors are Alhaji Ibrahim Shema (Katsina); Alhaji Mahmud Shinkafi (Zamfara); Alhaji Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto); Alhaji Usman Dakingari (Kebbi); Alhaji Mohammed Goje (Gombe); Alhaji Sule Lamido (Jigawa); Dr. Babangida Aliyu ( Niger ); Dr. Bukola Saraki (Kwara), Alhaji Modu Sheriff (Borno); and Alhaji Ibrahim Shakarau (Kano).



Seven governors were known to have voted against zoning at the Kaduna meeting in July.



They are Mr. Gabriel Suswam (Benue); Alhaji Ibrahim Idris (Kogi); Mr. Jonah Jang (Plateau); Mr. Patrick Yakowa ( Kaduna ); Alhaji Murtala Nyako (Adamawa); Alhaji Danbaba Suntai (Taraba) and Alhaji Aliyu Doma (Nasarawa).



Except Saraki and the two ANPP governors (Sheriff and Shekarau), all the pro-zoning governors attended the Jonathan declaration.



Shema is the Jonathan/Sambo campaign coordinator in the North-West.



Besides their attendance, the governors with their other colleagues volunteered to pay for Jonathan’s form with which he expressional his interest to contest for the 2011 presidential election.



Aliyu, who is also the chairman of the Northern Governors Forum, shocked the crowd at Eagle Square when he said that he had come to negotiate at the behest of the people.



He stressed that he and his people were afraid that if they did not join the Jonathan train, they might be given what he called “Northern Cameroun treatment.”



Aliyu had said, “I came here on Wednesday, and I am here today (Saturday). People will be wondering what I am doing here today (Saturday). It is because politics is about dialogue; politics is about negotiation; and I have been mandated to negotiate; that my people are afraid.



“They are afraid; that they will have the Camerounian treatment. And we say no, Nigeria is for all of us, and we must all be prepared and dialogue and negotiate and produce the President.



“This is a PDP family affair. And we will not diminish any candidate; no we will not, we will not diminish a candidate because we believe in politics of unity.



“Mr. President, Many of us have participated actively, in the process to ensure your coming because we believe in Nigeria. We believe in the unity of this country.”



The Presidency claimed that governor Aliyu’s position appears to be the new thinking among the hardliners.



The source said, “When they took that position in Kaduna on zoning, the first thing the President did was to call them one by one on the telephone and said, ‘I was a governor like you before I came here.’



“In addition, he invited each of them to the Presidential Villa, where he held private discussions on the matter and that helped. Jonathan preaches peace and he has continually reached out to them.



“Babangida Aliyu’s position reflects the new thinking among those who feel that it should have been the other way round.”



But on Sunday, Aliyu and Lamido, said their presence at the declaration did not mean they had abandoned their position on zoning.



They explained that they attended the declaration because Jonathan was the PDP leader by his position as president.



Aliyu, who spoke through his Director-General of Media and Public Affairs, Alhaji bala Abdulkhadir, said, “The position on zoning was not a personal issue, but it is based on the issue of PDP constitution which allows zoning of elective positions.



“Don’t forget that at the Northern Governors Forum, a decision was reached that the governors must consult with the people of their states before taking decisions and the position we took then apart from tallying with our people was also in line with our party’s constitution.”



Lamido, who also spoke through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Adegbo Onoja, said he was never against Jonathan or anybody contesting the nation’s Presidency.



“My support for zoning is based on principle. Zoning is enshrined in the PDP constitution and if the party wants to change it, fine with me. I am not opposed to Jonathan or anybody running for the President but PDP constitution must be changed in accommodating such position,” Lamido said.



“Don’t forget that the President is the leader of the party, so all party members must be there whether they like his face of not,” he added.



Clarifying the issue as it affected his boss, the Senior Special Adviser to Governor Shema on Press Affairs, Mallam Ahmed Maharaza, said the highest organ of the PDP had taken a position on the matter, and there was nothing else to state.



He said, “Don’t forget, Jonathan is the President of Nigeria and leader of the PDP.



So, everybody should be there in recognition of his status. So, everybody went there to give him their support as the President of Nigeria.”


http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201009201491964

That ALL 36 governor’s attended the declaration of GEJ is not an assurance that he will win the pdp nominations, let us not be carried away with that. He is the president and he must be respected, and it shows that those prozoning are more democratic than, the antizoning thugs who want to get it by all cost. it shows that PZ are playing politic without bitterness and must be commended.

@OP

That ALL 36 governor’s attended the declaration of GEJ is not an assurance that he will win the pdp nominations, let us not be carried away with that. He is the president and he must be respected, and it shows that those prozoning are more democratic than, the antizoning thugs who want to get it by all cost. it shows that PZ are playing politic without bitterness and must be commended.

Whatz this ranting all about? are you ok at all? Can you expatiate on what made them more democratic than others or you just want to post something for 'posting sake'? Please try and take your drugs this morning or kindly go back to sleep.

warrior01:

@OP
Whatz this ranting all about? are you ok at all? Can you expatiate on what made them more democratic than others or you just want to post something for 'posting sake'? Please try and take your drugs this morning or kindly go back to sleep.

If you don't have something better to say it will be okay for you to keep your month closed, for i don't see any normal person that will get up in the morning and keeps on saying things that don't make sense at all. feel you are the one that need to take your madness drugs

warrior01:

@OP
Whatz this ranting all about? are you ok at all? Can you expatiate on what made them more democratic than others or you just want to post something for 'posting sake'? Please try and take your drugs this morning or kindly go back to sleep.

True talk