•••SAY WE ARE READY FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO BURY NIGERIA
The Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF) has issued a stern warning to those who are trying to do away with the zoning of the Presidency in the country.
The leaders condemned in strong terms a 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 is 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.”
