Jonathan Has Killed Zoning, Says ACF

[TGD]

  • North Will Vie For 2015 Presidency On Merit

ELDERS in the North, under the umbrella of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) yesterday accused President Goodluck Jonathan of "killing the zoning and rotational presidency in the country," following his assumption of office after the April 2011 presidential polls.

They agreed that, though Jonathan has pledged to spend a four- year term under his present administration, when the Presidency will be thrown open for contest in 2015, the North would not agitate for zoning because it has been killed.

National Publicity Secretary of ACF, Mr. Anthony Sani, said in an interview with The Guardian that it was unfortunate that zoning and rotational presidency, which has held the nation together under a pseudo federal structure, will no longer endure in the body polity of Nigeria, following Jonathan's victory in the last presidential election.

"As far as I am concerned, zoning has been killed. The only thing we said is that if they are killing it, it simply means we have reached a level where we can take our peaceful coexistence for granted. We have reached a level where we can take our stability for granted."

Sani, who stressed that "Jonathan killed zoning," said: "Now, let us assume that there is no issue of marginalization; we want to believe that if zoning is killed, the factors that informed zoning no longer exist. That is supposed to be the case. But if they exist, then it was not supposed to be killed."

"Some of our brothers in the National Assembly and those in the House of Representatives are saying that the PDP said zoning existed, but anybody could contest. If there is problem on zoning, it is the party that caused the confusion.  We are happy that Jonathan said he would stay for only one term. The happiness is that he is not going to be bugged down by cronies, his activities will not be diverted by party supporters, he is more to impact on Nigeria and live a legacy."

"So, the freedom Jonathan has now is unmatched, he can deliver on the promise of democracy and cast his name in stone. In 2015, there are people who will vie for the presidency, which is why I told you that the struggle for power would start all over again. We, as northerners are going to struggle in 2015 for our right just like any other ethnic group in the country. Jonathan has killed zoning. The country has killed zoning".

On the speculation that the ACF is going back to its trenches against the newly inaugurated presidency of Jonathan, the ACF chief said: "No,

No, no; I don't think so. One, the north have responsible people, responsible politicians, who know what government is all about. They know what leadership is all about. The north knows that after the elections, the people become one and not that we go to the trenches."

"We have congratulated the President; Babangida has congratulated Jonathan; Atiku has done the same. This is time for governance, and not time for politics. This is not to suggest that when the time for politics comes, we will not seek our rights with courage. We will still go back to the trenches, but I don't think we are in the trenches yet because this is no time for trenches. The law doesn't say so and common decency doesn't say so.

"This is time for governance and we will not deliberately pull Jonathan down simply because his faction won the election."



Source: Jonathan Has Killed Zoning, Says ACF