Bangs table in anger and frustration Meanwhile,  we dey laff .

http://dailytrust.dailytrust.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=18847:obasanjo-schemes-over-pdp-zoning&catid=2:lead-stories&Itemid=8

Obasanjo schemes over PDP zoning
Monday, 09 May 2011 00:36 Muideen Olaniyi, Abuja

Despite the near complete routing of the Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] in the South West zone by the opposition Action Congress of Nigeria [ACN] during the just concluded elections, PDP’s titular leader in the zone, former president Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, is pushing hard for a zoning formula that confers advantages on himself in the next four years, top sources within the party told Daily Trust yesterday.

The PDP’s national caucus is expected to meet in Abuja tomorrow evening to deliberate on the zoning of top political offices following the conclusion of this year’s general and presidential elections. PDP’s National Executive Committee [NEC] is expected to meet later in the week to ratify the new zoning formula.

According to the sources, the former president lost his temper and banged the table several times during a meeting of party leaders at the State House in Abuja late last week in order to drive home his demand for the retention of the current formula. In particular, Chief Obasanjo is pushing for the North Central zone to produce the Senate President so that his man Senator David Mark will retain the post. He is also fighting hard to ensure that his native South West zone retains the post of House of Representatives Speaker, which was zoned to it in 2007.

The sources told Daily Trust however that Obasanjo’s scheming within the party caucus is frowned at by many party leaders who point at the near-wiping out of PDP in the South West during the last election. PDP’s two remaining states in the zone were lost when Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala of Oyo State was defeated by ACN’s Chief Abiola Ajimobi, while in Ogun State, PDP’s candidate and Obasanjo protégé General Tunji Olurin was defeated by Chief Amosun, also of ACN.

Obasanjo’s own daughter Senator Iyabo Obasanjo was defeated in her Senate race in Ogun State while the former president serially lost his polling unit, ward, local government, state and entire zone in the elections.

A source familiar with the scheming told Daily Trust, “The former president sees President Jonathan is his protégé. He also wants full control over the Legislature. Senator David Mark is his man, and he also wants to install his man as Speaker once it is zoned to the South West.”

The source added, “PDP has only five elected House of Representatives members from the South West. How can you allocate the speaker to them? What if we do not find anyone of them qualified to be the speaker, since there are other criteria apart from zoning?”

Tomorrow’s PDP caucus meeting, which is expected to take place at the Presidential Villa, Abuja at night, will deliberate on the recommendations made by party leaders for the modification of the zoning formula. The party’s NEC is expected to take a final decision on it later in the week.

I see Obasanjo as one of the biggest threat to Ndigbo aspirations in Nigeria. The Igbo political elite need to find some way in neutralizing him, because he still has the ear of President Jonathan. Zoning is dead and positions should be given based on support of PDP and merit. All of these zoning schemes based on religion and tribal affiliations is proving to be a distraction to PDP. It shows that PDP has no political ideology, but is simply a national party that is trying to keep power in the center. I see PDP as a bulwark to factionalism, but this infighting can prove disastrous for PDP in the future.

EzeUche_:

I see Obasanjo as one of the biggest threat to Ndigbo aspirations in Nigeria. The Igbo political elite need to find some way in neutralizing him, because he still has the ear of President Jonathan. Zoning is dead and positions should be given based on support of PDP and merit. All of these zoning schemes based on religion and tribal affiliations is proving to be a distraction to PDP. It shows that PDP has no political ideology, but is simply a national party that is trying to jeep power in the center. I see PDP as a bulwark to factionalism, but this infighting can prove disastrous for PDP in the future.

Is that not what we have been attempting to tell you while you dance around the forum ecstatically ? Can you now see that the SW voted the way they did because they don't want to be part of the PDP horse-trading and shenanigans , typified below, that has condemned the entire nation to underdevelopment while PDP bigwigs , regardless of their region of origin, continue to grow richer and richer. This article rings true IMO because anyone aware of OBJ's modus operandi will know that he tries , as much as possible, to control the top four Nigerians i.e President , VP, Senate President and Speaker of the lower house. One can recall how , after Installing Yar Adua, GEJ , Mark and Etteh, OBJ fought tooth and nail to prevent Bankole replacing Etteh when she had disgraced herself over the inflated contract saga.

A source familiar with the scheming told Daily Trust, “The former president sees President Jonathan is his protégé. He also wants full control over the Legislature. Senator David Mark is his man, and he also wants to install his man as Speaker once it is zoned to the South West.”

I dey laugh ooooooooooo

seanet02:

I dey laugh ooooooooooo

Abi OOO. We dey laff Baba wey dey bang table instead of tending to his Chickens at his farm

He should be laffing at himself by now.

OBJ should be leaving the stage gradually at this point.

EzeUche_:

I see Obasanjo as one of the biggest threat to Ndigbo aspirations in Nigeria. The Igbo political elite need to find some way in neutralizing him, because he still has the ear of President Jonathan. Zoning is dead and positions should be given based on support of PDP and merit. All of these zoning schemes based on religion and tribal affiliations is proving to be a distraction to PDP.

It shows that PDP has no political ideology, but is simply a national party that is trying to keep power in the center.

I see PDP as a bulwark to factionalism, but this infighting can prove disastrous for PDP in the future.

My brother, You are getting it!

OBJ=part of old order that will soon pass away.

Kilode?!:

My brother, You are getting it!

With time, he will appreciate why the SW demonstrated pragmatic cynicism with the way they voted out the PDP totally. Already we see the usual PDP horse-trading that relegates Nigeria to the background. Otherwise, how can anyone justify David Mark getting another tenure as Senate President? Are we all not ashamed that David Mark , given his woeful leadership of the Senate , is likely to get another 4 years? The Robin to Batman of the Senate (Ekweremadu) will also get another tenure as deputy senate President . Are things not "more of the same" if mediocrity keeps getting rewarded under the PDP and GEJ?

Who , in their right mind, thinks David Mark will suddenly become progressive and pro-people when he has never been anything close to those ideals in his entire career? Is this not proof , once again, that the PDP is , first and foremost, totally about 'not rocking the boat' rather than being on the side of the aggressive development of Nigeria?

obj no get shame

he should go and rest with ibb and the rest

the country has not improved since he imposed gej on us so what is all this zoning non-sense for

we need the country to improve and take power away from pdp

[size=14pt]@ Gbawe,[/size]

Its easy for us to sit around and say the SW should have done this, the SE should have done that. If you look carefully at both regions, yes we're both fighting for things but not necessarily the same things. The SW can afford to form an opposition and do things from there via ACN. Looking at this thread; https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria?topic=662524.msg8279617#msg8279617 , I commended the efforts of the SW in forming such initiative for the advancement of their region and also noted SE's similar initiative albeit, not really on the size of the SW. There are fundamental reasons why the
political goals of the SW and Se are different. Let me state some of them below;


1) The SW has 6 states within their region (plus Kwara ) as against the SE's 5 states. If the SE departs from mainstream politics then its dream of realising a 6th state will be further thwarted.

2) Lopsided FG allocation - in which the SE receives the lowest amongst other regions.

3) Industrialisation of the SE needs much political power and will - at least within Nigeria's type of politics.

4) The erosion ravaging the SE cannot be remedied using the meagre allocations that the SE states receive. It never even received attention as all the SE states were in PDP not to talk of now that 2 out of 5, are controlled by APGA. It only started receiving attention during GEJ's reign.

5) Even the dredging of the niger and the renovation of the river port was politically dashed for severally years until 2009 when Yar'adua, out of consideration of the benefits for the North, decided to award contracts for the river niger dredging and onitsha riverport renovation.

The SW can afford to operate comfortably from the opposition but as u've seen most of the points made above, its in the SE's interest to operate from the mainstream as for now in other to settle those points raised as well as other points.

I must emphasize that I indeed would've loved APGA to dominate the eastern region but we're getting there when those points have been settled.

dem_people:

[size=14pt]@ Gbawe,[/size]

Its easy for us to sit around and say the SW should have done this, the SE should have done that. If you look carefully at both regions, yes we're both fighting for things but not necessarily the same things. The SW can afford to form an opposition and do things from there via ACN. Looking at this thread; https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria?topic=662524.msg8279617#msg8279617 , I commended the efforts of the SW in forming such initiative for the advancement of their region and also noted SE's similar initiative albeit, not really on the size of the SW. There are fundamental reasons why the
political goals of the SW and Se are different. Let me state some of them below;


1) The SW has 6 states within their region (plus Kwara ) as against the SE's 5 states. If the SE departs from mainstream politics then its dream of realising a 6th state will be further thwarted.

2) Lopsided FG allocation - in which the SE receives the lowest amongst other regions.

3) Industrialisation of the SE needs much political power and will - at least within Nigeria's type of politics.

4) The erosion ravaging the SE cannot be remedied using the meagre allocations that the SE states receive. It never even received attention as all the SE states were in PDP not to talk of now that 2 out of 5, are controlled by APGA. It only started receiving attention during GEJ's reign.

5) Even the dredging of the niger and the renovation of the river port was politically dashed for severally years until 2009 when Yar'adua, out of consideration of the benefits for the North, decided to award contracts for the river niger dredging and onitsha riverport renovation.

The SW can afford to operate comfortably from the opposition but as u've seen most of the points made above, its in the SE's interest to operate from the mainstream as for now in other to settle those points raised as well as other points.

I must emphasize that I indeed would've loved APGA to dominate the eastern region but we're getting there when those points have been settled.

Baba, how you dey??
You raised some very important points but I think the SW and SE have the SAME ambitions but are using very solutions.
First of all, I think APGA will sweep the SE come 2015. It is imperative that the SE controls her destiny instead of it to be left in the hands of "zoning". I see a combination of a SE/SW ticket 2015 hence, a merger (the old South) believe it or not. But to achieve the "Old south", as you rightly said in a thread, you need to also have a bargaining chip.
Secondly, I really do not see the creation of a "Sixth" SE state or "Anioma" state because it will disrupt the polity. That is, the SW will also want at least 2 states, the Okun(Kogi around where ACN (yemi smart won)) and Kwara. The North will also want and it goes on and on. . . . unfortunate that is the way it is.
Thridly, National politics without Idealogies is just an opportunity for our leaders to run to Abuja and loot us dry.

Very soon, the government will have no choice but to weaken the center. No more "monkey dey work, baboon dey chop".

jason123:

Baba, how you dey??
You raised some very important points but I think the SW and SE have the SAME ambitions but are using very solutions.
First of all, I think APGA will sweep the SE come 2015. It is imperative that the SE controls her destiny instead of it to be left in the hands of "zoning". I see a combination of a SE/SW ticket 2015 hence, a merger (the old South) believe it or not. But to achieve the "Old south", as you rightly said in a thread, you need to also have a bargaining chip.
Secondly, I really do not see the creation of a "Sixth" SE state or "Anioma" state because it will disrupt the polity. That is, the SW will also want at least 2 states, the Okun(Kogi around where ACN (yemi smart won)) and Kwara. The North will also want and it goes on and on. . . . unfortunate that is the way it is.
Thridly, National politics without Idealogies is just an opportunity for our leaders to run to Abuja and loot us dry.

Very soon, the government will have no choice but to weaken the center. No more "monkey dey work, baboon dey chop".

Yo, are you Igbo?

jason123:

Baba, how you dey??
You raised some very important points but I think the SW and SE have the SAME ambitions but are using very solutions.
First of all, I think APGA will sweep the SE come 2015. It is imperative that the SE controls her destiny instead of it to be left in the hands of "zoning". I see a combination of a SE/SW ticket 2015 hence, a merger (the old South) believe it or not. But to achieve the "Old south", as you rightly said in a thread, you need to also have a bargaining chip.
Secondly, I really do not see the creation of a "Sixth" SE state or "Anioma" state because it will disrupt the polity. That is, the SW will also want at least 2 states, the Okun(Kogi around where ACN (yemi smart won)) and Kwara. The North will also want and it goes on and on. . . . unfortunate that is the way it is.
Thridly, National politics without Idealogies is just an opportunity for our leaders to run to Abuja and loot us dry.

Very soon, the government will have no choice but to weaken the center. No more "monkey dey work, baboon dey chop".

Oga I dee o.

Yes the SE needs those points raised. The only way we could get them is through the mainstream PDP or, through a governance of true federalism otherwise, we're indeed on a wishful thinking.

The sustenance of the type of government that we have is indeed not possible over the long run. Maybe, just maybe, parties along regional lines might be a great catalyst to true federalism or leading to a new government structure which is sure to favour most of the populace.

These guys sound like they own the government, what about ACN?

dem_people:


Oga I dee o.

Yes the SE needs those points raised. The only way we could get them is through the mainstream PDP or, through a governance of true federalism otherwise, we're indeed on a wishful thinking.

The sustenance of the type of government that we have is indeed not possible over the long run. Maybe, just maybe, parties along regional lines might be a great catalyst to true federalism or leading to a new government structure which is sure to favour most of the populace.

you making a lot of sense, kudos

dem_people:


Oga I dee o.

Yes the SE needs those points raised. The only way we could get them is through the mainstream PDP or, through a governance of true federalism otherwise, we're indeed on a wishful thinking.

The sustenance of the type of government that we have is indeed not possible over the long run. Maybe, just maybe, parties along regional lines might be a great catalyst to true federalism or leading to a new government structure which is sure to favour most of the populace.

Points taken!!!