.Accuses Adamu of Dishonesty over Statement on APC Zoning

.Power Must Return to S’E, Ohanaeze Replies NEF

.You Dominated Jonathan’s Administration, Zwingina Tells Igbos

By Jude Opara, Abuja

The Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF) has issued a dire warning to politicians and other Nigerians who are trying to do away with the rotational Presidency in the country.

Specifically, the tribal leaders condemned the statement credited to the Chairman of the Northern Elders Forum, Alhaji Ango Abdullahi, that zoning of the Presidency between the North and South is “dead and buried”.
The position of the SMBLF is contained in a joint statement signed by Chief E. K. Clark, National Leader, PANDEF and Chairman, SMBLF; Chief Ayo Adebanjo – Leader, Afenifere; Prof. George Obiozor – President-General, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide and Pogu Bitrus – National President, Middle Belt Forum on Monday.
The group warned that an attempt to kill and bury the age long power rotation agreement between the North and the South is not different from an attempt to kill and bury Nigeria.
They warned that the moves to tinker with the rotation of the Presidency between the North and the South was inimical to national unity.
The Southern and Middle Belt Leaders warned the Ango Abdullahi’s NEF wondering if the body was now out for the dissolution of the country?
“SMBLF says it is rather unfortunate and absurd that Ango Abdullahi and his Northern Elders Forum would make such twaddle. Are they now ready to dissolve the country? What has happened that zoning, which has been a sine qua non in the nation’s political progression has now become a “dead and buried” issue, in the irrational contemplations of Ango Abdullahi and his co-travellers? Could it be due to the incapacity, insipidity and disastrous performance of the Buhari administration or the narcissistic desire to perpetuate Hausa/Fulani Hegemony?
“It has become necessary to underscore that Ango Abdullahi, with his established disposition of inconsistency and duplicity, is one of the people disturbing the polity and peace of Nigeria.
“A few days ago, this same Ango fumbled with the idea of a so-called consensus arrangement for Northern presidential aspirants, he has not come out of it, now he has sprung up with this reckless statement that zoning is dead and buried.
“Ango and his northern elders do not have the power to kill and bury zoning; if they want to kill and bury Nigeria, then we are ready for them!”
They argued that the “history of zoning between the North and the South is well-known to everybody in this country and has been respected by all the major political parties in Nigeria.”
They recalled that all ruling political parties from the second republic such as the NPN, the PDP had adhered to the principle of zoning.
The group accused the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Sen Adamu Abdullahi of outright dishonesty and chicanery for saying that the APC had not decided the zoning of the Presidency.
“More so, earlier this year, the nation and global audience were told by Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State on a national/satellite Television station, Channels Television, that zoning of the party and political elective offices exists in the APC. The Governor further hinted that all the positions earlier held by the North would be swapped with the South and vice versa. And this was inclusive of the presidency. That was the reason why only Northerners vied for the National Chairmanship of the party, which was zoned to the North and micro zoned to the North Central, during the party’s National Convention in March this year.
“Sadly, we are now been told by the newly “imposed” National Chairman of the APC, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, that the APC has not decided on the zoning of the presidency.
“Such a statement at this stage, with about 30 days to the presidential primaries, amounts to outright dishonesty and chicanery. Who are they trying to deceive and who will allow them?
“It becomes even more upsetting given the fact that the statement came from someone who himself emerged as National Chairman of the APC through the policy of rotation and zoning.” The statement added
The leaders said further that “It is haughty for anybody to say that this is the time to consider the quality of candidates. Where in Nigeria is deficient in quality candidates, is it the south or the north? Every one of the individuals from the south who has indicated interest to contest for the presidency, both in APC and in PDP, is qualified to be President of Nigeria.
They should stop their trickery, enough is enough! We cannot have a northerner president for 8 years and then welcome another northern president for another 8 years or more. That is unacceptable to us.
“We, therefore, strongly caution all our governors, former governors and top politicians not to accept the Vice Presidency nomination from any northern presidential candidate.
“We urge the 17 Southern Governors, who unanimously declared that the Presidency must come to the South in May last year, at Asaba, Delta State, to remain resolute. They have our absolute support for the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders’ Forum and we stand firmly by them. This country belongs to all of us!
“Let everybody take this as a serious warning that the issue of zoning cannot be swept under the carpet; it cannot be dead and buried, if zoning is buried, Nigeria is then buried. And if they are thinking that this is a joke, let it be known that it is not. If we cannot abide by the established principle of rotation and zoning between the north and south, then we should not continue with one Nigeria; we should go back to what we were as a people before the amalgamation of 1914.
“We also earnestly call on the people of the Middle Belt Region and all Minorities in Nigeria to wake up and work conscientiously with the Southerners, if we do, the prospects will be pellucid. This was demonstrated at the National Conference of 2014 to the mortification of those who think this country belongs to them alone.”

2023: Power Must Return to S’E, Ohanaeze Replies Northern Elders

The Igbo apex socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, again has insisted that the presidency must return to the Southern part of the country.

Ohanaeze further took a swipe at the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) for kicking against zoning of the Presidency, alleging it because it was the turn of the South East to produce the next president of Nigeria.

The body was reacting to the position of the NEF who recently frowned against the zoning of the 2023 presidency.

It could be recalled that the Chairman of the Northern Elders Forum, (NEF), Alhaji Ango Abdullahi, few days ago declared that zoning of the Presidency between the North and South is “dead and buried.”
Ohanaeze in a statement titled: “The zoning shenanigans in Nigeria”, signed by its spokesman, Dr Alex Ogbonnia, said NEF was trying to destroy what balances Nigeria instead of seeking solutions to the country’s problems.

The body recalled how power rotated from former President Olusegun Obasanjo (Southwest) to Musa Yar’Adua (North) to Goodluck Jonathan (Southsouth) and to President Muhammadu Buhari (North).

According to Ohanaeze, the issue of rotation of power was conceived in 1994 by some Nigerian patriots to ensure equity and inclusiveness of all parts of the country.

“It was also agreed that political offices will be zoned or distributed among the zones in such a way that every zone will have a sense of belonging. Furthermore, the Presidency in Nigeria will rotate among the zones to promote peace, unity and progress.

“The NEF is aware that Nigeria has religiously followed the rotation and zoning principle since 1999 with Chief Olusegun Obasanjo (South West) as the elected President of Nigeria. Obasanjo, in keeping with the rotation principle, handed over to former President Umaru Yar’Adua ( North West) in 2007.

“With the death of Yar’Adua, a Southerner, specifically the South-South, in the person of Dr Goodluck Jonathan was elected as President. Jonathan also handed over to a Northerner, President Muhammadu Buhari, whose second tenure of four years will end in 2023. By the rotation and zoning principle that has been in operation in Nigeria, it is only fair that the Presidency be zoned to the South, specifically the South-East region,” he said.

 You Dominated 90% of Jonathan’s Administration, Zwingina Reminds Igbos

 
Meanwhile a former Deputy Senate Majority Leader, Jonathan Zwingina, has told the people of the South East that they should not forget that they dominated over 90 percent of the economy during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan and that no one complained.
Zwingina who was speaking in an interview with Channels Television also insisted that the South East will not get the 2023 presidency on a platter of gold.
He said the region should not sit back and expect the political parties such as the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to zone the country’s presidency to them, adding that their elite must engage in discussions with the political elites from other zones.
The lawmaker further pointed out that the South East was not the only region that has not been able to produce the president, insisting that while the region had even produced the country’s leaders once in its history, the North Central has not had the chance at all.
“I think the issue of zoning is understandable. But we must first of all look at the fact that the issue of zoning first arose during the military era and then the contest of the crisis of June 12.
“Now the way the zoning has been crafted, it is looking like it’s going to be almost by fiat. Zoning is a matter that should be discussed among political parties and agreed upon within the consensus of political parties and not be forced or compelled on individuals or political personnel in government to enforce it.
“Even the party that championed zoning, which is the PDP has eventually in itself, virtually set it aside.
“Not only the South East, the North Central has not had… even the South East has had the President the North Central did not have. Fairness and justice require that they too should have.
“Fairness and justice require that North East should have …although they had the prime minister, they too should have. I can tell you that fairness and justice is not just the South East.
“They’re talking about their rights but North Central has not had anything at all… what I’m saying is all the rights of people who want representation in government are valid. But we have to look at certain representations.
“Under the administration of President Jonathan, the dominant zone in that government was the South East. They practically dominated ninety percent of the economy completely and people did not complain.
“It was their rights to do that because some of them were competent and were appointed into government positions …what the South-East should do is that their elites should engage in discussion with the elites from the other regions with the respect to the need for them to have a go at the presidency.
“But even at that, there’s no President in Nigeria, even Obasanjo, who contested on the basis being left alone because he comes from a zone of preference. When Obasanjo contested, there were other people who were not from the South West who stood election with him.”