AFRAID of President Goodluck Jonathan's rising profile in the build-up to the 2011 general elections, two of his major challengers declared yesterday their intention to stop him at all cost.

Former military President, General Ibrahim Babangida (rtd), and erstwhile Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential aspirant, vowed that if Jonathan made peaceful transition impossible, he should be prepared for the inevitability of violent change.

Babangida said: “Any attempt to disrupt zoning arrangement portends ominous prospects to the electoral fortunes of the PDP and also endangers orderly political transition in the nation.”

The two presidential aspirants spoke at the National Stakeholders Conference organised by the Adamu Ciroma-led Northern Political Leaders Forum yesterday in Abuja.

The event, chaired by Babangida, was to drum up support for Atiku in the South.

Atiku added that if the ruling PDP would not embrace reforms; it would stand the risk of becoming irrelevant in the scheme of things in 2011.

But the Senate President, in the aborted third Republic, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, called on the South to forget the historical part of the country in the 60s, when the nation was ruled by military regime headed by Northerners in successions. He described it as accidental.

Atiku, who insisted that he was the instrument for realising the value of consensus building, rule of law and due process, promised that he would bring the country back to the path of honour.

His words: “Our coming here is not about Atiku, it is about the peace, the unity and stability of Nigeria as exemplified by all the speakers who spoke to this audience today. Today is about building consensus for national unity. We heard some elder statesmen on consensus building. It is about the rule of law, due process and standing for what is right. I am an instrument for realising these values. I promise that by the grace of almighty God, we shall bring this country back to the part of honour.

“Before I end this short address, let me send a message to our great party the PDP: if the PDP does not reform, it stands the risk of making itself irrelevant. Let me again send another message to the leadership of this nation, particularly the political leadership that those who make peaceful changes impossible make violent changes inevitable.”

Ayu said: “We are trying to tell you that we have difficult task ahead of us. If you are not present here today, the consensus effort would have been a failure. But with your presence here today, Atiku ceases to be the Northern Consensus Candidate but the Consensus Candidate of Nigeria. North is not set out to dominate anybody. I want you to ignore the Nigerian history of 60s that produced coups and counter-coups with its leaders as Northerners. It was not conspiratorial on the part of the Northern political leaders, it was accidental.

“When we had opportunity, we not only brought out President Obasanjo, who was in prison for treason, but the North made him president, even when his immediate community rejected him. It was highest show of solidarity by the North. The least our brothers from the South can do is to demonstrate and reciprocate the goodwill.”

Babangida, in his own remark, said: “The representatives of the various sections and groupings of this nation are gathered here to chart out a framework for the resolution of certain challenges facing our country today. This gathering, therefore, is not only a tribute to national unity, but also an open admission that we confront challenges as one nation, and resolve them as a single indivisible entity.

“National unity is the fundamental value which brings all of us together at this event. The history of this country provides a constant reminder that we can only disregard the issue of national unity at the risk of very horrific and tragic consequences.

“It is, therefore lamentable, to say the least, that some actors in the ongoing political process in the country are not only trying to put the question of national unity in the back burner; but are actively trying to undermine it by jettisoning measures that are deliberately designed to promote and guarantee it.

“At the risk of sounding repetitive, I would still draw your attention to the fact that our principled insistence on the issue of zoning and rotation of power between the component parts of this country is in long term interest of this country and its people.

“In our deliberations today, I want to urge all of us to keep at the back of our minds the fact that the issue of zoning and rotation of power is beyond the Northern part of Nigeria; it is certainly beyond the Peoples Democratic Party as a political party. It is simply a national challenge to come up with an arrangement that guarantees to all sections of this country a sense of belonging.

“The critical balancing fulcrum sustaining that arrangement is the principle of zoning and rotation of public and party offices. This is, without any doubt, what is responsible for the remarkable successes that the party was able to register in successive elections in the country.

“It is important at this juncture to remind all of us that when the PDP was formed, it was conceived as a big tent that would house the diverse sections, groupings and interests of this country in an amicable and orderly power sharing arrangement. The critical balancing fulcrum is the principle of zoning and rotation of public and party offices. This is, without any doubt, what is responsible for the remarkable successes that the party was able to register in successive elections in the country.

“Any attempt to disrupt this arrangement, therefore, portends ominous prospects to the electoral fortunes of the party, but more seriously endangers orderly political transition in the nation.

“The way I see it is that our task has now been clearly set; its organs and officials do what is right for the long term interest of the party and the long larger interest of our nation. To do otherwise is to send the message that we are not ready to abide by our own rules and cannot be trusted by the larger society to adhere to its own.

“This is one message we cannot afford to communicate to the people of this country upon who we depend to acquire political power; or indeed even to the larger international community.”

Roll call at the event included: former National Security Adviser, Lt-General Aliyu Gusau (rtd); former Senate President, Ken Nnamani; former PDP Youth Leader, Bibi Farouk; former Minister of Cooperation and Integration in Africa, Abimbola Ogunkelu; former Aviation Minister, Professor Babalola Borisade; former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, Professor Charles Soludo; Professor Sam Oyobvare, and Hajia Chinyere Ogugua.

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Lets watch and see, if this is turning out to be North between South, I know where I stand.

It is very clear that even after 50yrs of Independence, Nigeria still does not have a unified voice. I have experienced first hand on this forum so much hatred against tribes, especially against the Igbos.

I hope Atiku is serious cos after such a heavy statement and you dont match it with action, you are doomed. The seriousness can be guaged at, by examining the extent his children will be involved in the violent change, i will prefer they spearhead it, not hiring some hungry Nigerians to fight for them and at the end of it all, you will them coming in from Dubai, UK, USA etc to lord over us, if it is well scrutinized, you will notice that some of their children have never voted before, even when they are qualified to. When the coast is clear, you will see them in wonders on wheel, heavy convoys, flying around in private jets and copters even yatch. Inshort their statement is tantamount to treasonable felony. I dey laugh oooo

media twist, courtest of cmpass newspaper owned by OGD, jonathans campaign man