Ohanaeze Insists On Zoning

FROM LAWRENCE NJOKU, ENUGU

APEX Igbo Socio-Cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, yesterday, reaffirmed its support for zoning, stressing, however, that the Presidency must be allowed to rotate within the six geopolitical zones that make up the Federation.

Although, it said it was yet to take a position on whether or not to support the presidential ambition of President Goodluck Jonathan, it maintained that power should be allowed to remain in the south-south or southeast geo political zones of the country, as they remain the only ones that are yet to hold power at the highest level.

Addressing journalists shortly, after the Imeobi meeting of the Ohanaeze, its President General, Ambassador Ralph Uwaechue, said Ndigbo would not hasten to express support for any person or group in the 2011 presidency without a concrete assurance on what they stand to gain for such support.

He stated that the present practice, where presidency was being rotated within the north and south, negates the spirit and letters of true federalism, stressing that such was the cause of underdevelopment of the country.

He said: "We believe and support zoning, but presently, it is only the south-south and southeast that have not tasted power, and we want that for them. Zoning must be practiced, strictly on the basis of the six geo political zones of the country, and not on the north and south thing."

He explained that Ohanaeze would not give support to Jonathan's presidential bid or that of any other person without extensive consultation with her people, whom he said consist different political parties with various political ideologies.

He added that what was paramount at this time was actualising effort that people of the zone might speak with one voice, stressing that Ohanaeze was tired of Ndigbo being used and dumped by emerging leaders of the country.
Source: The Guardian, 15^th August 2010.

Ohanaeze Dares North Over Zoning

Chris Oji, Enugu

THE controversy over the zoning of political offices in the country continued Saturday with the apex Igbo cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo insisting that the exercise should be based on rotation among the six geo-political zones and not the North/South arrangement.

Noting  that only the South-South and the South East are the disadvantaged zones, the organisation at the end of its meeting Saturday in Enugu demanded that the two zones must be given opportunity to produce the presidents in subsequent dispensations.

"It is not a question of North and South. It is a question of progressively going round the six geo-political zones. So this is our own interpretation of zoning and we accept, that things must go round the six zones", President of Ohanaeze, Amb. Ralph Uwechue stated while fielding questions from reporters.

"And as far as the presidency is concerned, only the South South and the South East have not tasted it. So, we want that for them. When the South South or South East gets it and the other one gets it later, then it can keep rotating. We believe in zoning strictly on the basis of the six geo-political zones not in a North and South thing," Uwechue said.

The well attended meeting was graced by personalities including Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, Champion Newspaper publisher, renowned publisher, Chief Arthur Nwankwo, Prof. Joe Irukwu, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, Dr. Dozie Ikedife, Chief John Nnia Nwodo and Prof. Elochukwu Amucheazi.

Also in attendance were Eze Igbo Lagos, Nwabueze Ohazuluikle, Chief Enechi Onyia (SAN), representative of World Igbo Congress, Mrs. Grace Clark, Convener of Igbo Summit, Chief Mbazuluike Amaechi as well as representatives of  the governments of the South East.

Uwechue insisted that the Ohanaeze believed that all the zones should be treated equally, adding that a situation where one zone has seven states, many have six and only one has five was totally unacceptable.

Earlier while addressing the Ime Obi meeting, Iwuanyanwu told the gathering that the only way for Ndigbo to attain the presidency was for the zoning formula to be retained, recalling that the zoning formula adopted by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was championed  by Ndigbo and it was aimed at protecting the interest of the of the minorities and the marginalized sections of the country.

He said the North was made to accept the formula, but with the insistence that it would be rotated on North South basis.

"The only hope for us is to follow the process of zoning. We should not jettison it. The only hope for us to attain the presidency is to support the retention of zoning. It is clear with the arrangement that we are  sure of getting the presidency."

Iwuanyanwu warned that if the zoning formula was jettisoned, and if the power eventually returns to the North, it will then mean that power will never come down South again.

He, however, urged Ndigbo to support the presidential ambition of  President Goodluck Jonathan, saying he will not serve beyond 2015. He said the ticket of Jonathan was still the joint ticket with late President Umaru Yar'Adua.

The Ime Obi meeting which continued Saturday also touched on the issues of states creation and imbalance in the national structure as well as the extension of the tenure of the president of the organisation and other EXCO members from two years which was considered too short.
Source: The Nation, 15^th August 2010.

David-West Cautions On Zoning

By Kelvin Ebiri

FORMER Minister of Petroleum, Professor Tam David-West, has warned that if the issue of zoning within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is not properly handled, it could plunge the country into crisis. David-West has, meanwhile, described the PDP National Executive Council's declaration that the president can run, while still retaining the zoning system, as a defeat for President Jonathan. He called for the resignation of former president Olusegun Obasanjo and the PDP Chairman, Okwesilieze Nwodo, for misleading Nigerians on the issue of zoning. He explained that Jonathan is only entitled to serve out the term of the late president, Umaru Musa Yar'Adua.
Source: The Guardian, 15^th August 2010.

David-West Scores Gov Amaechi High

PORT HARCOURT—FORMER Minister of Petroleum Resources, Prof. Tam David-West, yesterday, commended Rivers State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi for his developmental strides in the state.

He said the governor has performed excellently.

David-West who spoke in Port Harcourt at the wedding ceremony of Mabel and Mr. Iboroma Harry said Governor Amaechi's efforts were noticed all over the state.

The former minister who said he was not a man given to cheap eulogies advised those who want to criticise to do so constructively.

He said: "Progressive developmental changes are now noticeable in the state and I have, therefore, taken a stand with Governor Amaechi.

The success of Rivers State is the success of every one of us, whether it is you, me or Amaechi, but when someone is there let us criticize constructively not destructively.

"I am not a party man, I have joined no party in my life before, and I don't intend to join one. Whatever I am saying here, I have said and written about it many times before, but when I see excellence I worship it.

"There must be disagreements but when we take such disagreements to an irresponsible level, it must be denounced by everybody. I have, therefore, taken a stand with the governor.

I am not used to cheap eulogies, if you are bad I tell you, you are bad, I owe you nothing; if you are good, I tell you too and I will not like any person to put smear on your goodness. I will not allow it by my pen or by my action".
Source: Vanguard, 16^th August 2010.

Peoples Democratic Party or Peoples Doublespeak Party? Jonathan And The Janus Of Zoning

This is a report on how the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, came to its decision of retaining the zoning clause in its constitution and yet, paved the way for President Goodluck Jonathan to contest next year's presidential election.  It is also a situation report of what would become of the remaining presidential aspirants within the PDP and the continuing negotiations for the eventual coronation of Jonathan.

By Jide Ajani, Deputy Editor

Some presidential contenders have been left with the short end of the stick.  But what they will do with it is what the President Goodluck Jonathan camp is working on.

When Chief of Staff to President Jonathan, Mike Oghiadohme, took off on an imperial note regarding the Jonathan Project, he was instructed to tone down.  He has since toned down Sunday Vanguard can reveal.

In fact, it was that spirit of engagement that may have further softened the terrain for the President.

The charge from President Jonathan was simple and straight forward: Clear the coast for me.  That was the charge handed down to a tight knit circle of elders and leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.  He may have got his wish and desire. It was programmatic.

Sunday Vanguard has been made to understand that the first impetus to the Jonathan campaign was the declaration by Chief Anthony Anenih, a declaration which was widely circulated on the issue of zoning in the PDP.  Anenih, who was national chairman of the defunct Social Democratic Party, SDP, and immediate past PDP Board of Trustees, BoT, Chairman, was the person who, with records, declared that zoning was never a sacrosanct matter in PDP; he gave facts and figures to buttress his point of view.

Those who also played key roles prior to last Thursday's NEC meeting included but were not limited to Barnabas Gemade, Solomon Lar, both former chairmen of the party, and Okwesilieze Nwodo, incumbent national chairman.  Making different arguments to counter zoning, they all individually played their roles.  Then there were the state governors who had to be worked on.

Sunday Vanguard can also reveal that Governors Danjuma Goje of Gombe State and Bukola Saraki of Kwara State were actually interested in the presidential race.  Going back and forth on the issue of zoning, they were said to have been prevailed upon.

In fact, the decision to allow Jonathan contest was said to have been hinged on the youthfulness of both governors.

The thinking, information available to Sunday Vanguard suggests, in allowing Jonathan to complete the tenure of his joint ticket with late Umaru Musa Yar'Adua is "just so after a term of four years, power would rotate back to the north for a fresh tenure", a source close to Aso Rock Presidential Villa disclosed. For those reading the signal wrongly, what the PDP NEC did last Thursday was to clear the way for President Jonathan to seek re-election next year and the logic is simple.

On the two sides of the divide were those for zoning and those against zoning or the other.

The position of those for zoning was simply an indirect disqualification of President Jonathan from the presidential elections of next year.  Those who opposed zoning wanted nothing more than for Jonathan to have a fighting chance to contest the election.

Now that the PDP has cleared the coast for Jonathan to participate, while simultaneously saying all those interested in the presidential primary of the party are free to do so is no more than a double speak of gargantuan proportions.

However, Sunday Vanguard can reveal that the decision of last Thursday by the NEC of the party is an equally indirect way of endorsing President Jonathan as the PDP candidate for next year's presidential elections.

"Not without warning", another source asked, "in the situation that we have found ourselves now, where the party has, in a manner of speaking, given a waiver for President Jonathan to seek re-election, how would you expect those who are leaders of the party to allow their choice of candidate fail"?

But asked by Sunday Vanguard how the party would cope with renegades who may not buy into a Jonathan ascendancy and, therefore, work against the interest of the party at the general elections, the response from another PDP leader was simple:  "We are politicians and we will continue to persuade our people to do the right thing for the country", was the direct shot.

The matter was settled before last Thursday.  Typically a Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, way of doing its thing, an example typified with by continuing postponement of the National Executive Committee, NEC, meeting of the party until the choice of Okwesilieze Nwodo as Chairman was settled, in June. In fact, one of those who would have participated in the presidential contest of the PDP, and a front runner at that, was said to have simply "packed it all up before Thursday's NEC meeting of the PDP.  He saw the way the thing was going and just decided that it was not worth it".

Interestingly, however, the presidential contender was said to have waived a copy of an earlier report by this reporter to the effect that "the increasing consolidation of former head of state, General Muhammadu Buhari's support base in the north may force the hands of the trio of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former military President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, as well as the current National Security Adviser, NSA, General Aliyu Mohammed Gusau, to quickly engage a process of negotiations that would resolve the long drawn controversy about zoning in their Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.  Two sources – one from Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja, and the other close to the leadership of the PDP, made Vanguard understand that the increasing mobilization of supporters for "Buhari and the protracted debate over zoning in the PDP may hand him the presidency by default"".

However, in all of these, Jonathan has not committed himself to any decision, even though all signals point to a declaration very soon.

Sunday Vanguard also discovered that a series of consultations are expected this week with a view to assuaging some frayed nerves over the issue of zoning.

At last Thursday's meeting, the fact that Ibrahim Shema, the Katsina State governor was the one who moved the motion for the waiver for President Jonathan was all part of the deal.  Coming from late Yar'Adua's Katsina, it was only meet and proper.  Chief Anenih seconded.

The win ability of the PDP presidential ticket may be within the grip of President Jonathan having received the backing of 24 PDP state governors in attendance.

However, much work needs to be done and is being done by the Jonathan group.

Other PDP aspirants are expected to drop their aspiration and support Jonathan.

Most of those who would be holding the short end of the stick would have to be persuaded not to stab him in the back with that short end.

The issue of the short end can be likened to the position of the same PDP in 1999, 2003 and 2007, where some dissidents contested the presidential primary of the party against the position of the party on zoning.

Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, former President was said to have  been taken to task at the BoT meeting of the party.

Sunday Vanguard was reliably told by a source at the meeting that once the party secretary, Baraje, introduced the issue of zoning, Obasanjo immediately rose on his feet and sought to dominate discussion on zoning, even insisting that zoning should be completely dumped by the party.

There was in attendance a comparatively younger Northerner who could not stomach Obasanjo's vituperations.

"The younger man", Sunday Vanguard gathered, "told Obasanjo to put himself in the place of an elder statesman.  The fellow told him that of all past Presidents of Nigeria it is only Obasanjo who still creates time to attend all manner of meetings here and there. The man also made him understand that as an elder statesman that he is expected to be, what is demanded of such a status is that when in attendance in a meeting, he should listen to all sides before making a pronouncement and even such a pronouncement must be one that is informed and not one based on some warped reasoning". But there have been dissidents in the PDP from its outset.

In fact, during that expanded caucus meeting of the party, it was former Akwa Ibom State governor (Victor Attah) who, and according to the unedited version of the minutes of that meeting, said "zoning as an arrangement can not be fixed for the future. It is an issue that we must agree on when each term expires.  There can be dissidents but the party would know that it has decided on a particular. He said the south should be allowed to have a second term."

Judging from PDP history, dissidents have been allowed to play out their follies at the party's convention. However, those dissidents who were allowed to contest the primaries were not in office as President of Nigeria as Jonathan is today.  Therefore, a PDP insisting that zoning remains but goes ahead to say its Leader can seek the party's ticket, judging from history, may have inadvertently termed President Jonathan the dissidents. This is high stake politics and even if President Jonathan could have had his way to dump zoning, the engagement policy of some moderates would suggest that things are not done like that because once the gate is shut there is the possibility of creating a mob action against an aspiration.

Jonathan's presidential ambition is still a work in progress and consultations are still on.
Source: Vanguard, 15^th August 2010.

HORSFALL: If There Is Need To Zone,
Let It Start With Jonathan

ARMSFREE AJANAKU ONOMO

• God Has Made His Own Decision On Zoning
• Jega Should Ignore Old Politicians

As the debate over power rotation and states creation heightens, former chairman of the Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC), Chief Albert Horsefall said God has already made a decision on the zoning. He said states were created originally to solve political problems, not to solve economic challenges. In this interview with ARMSFREE AJANAKU ONOMO in Port Harcourt, he also spoke on other issues of national concern.

On zoning, Northern governors met and they seem to be undecided, what is your assessment of the situation?

The zoning, which the PDP did, was a patchwork; they hurried to do it. As far as I was concerned, it was a good thing at that time, to provide some calm in the political atmosphere, and it worked, starting with General Olusegun Obasanjo, who came from the Southwest zone, and then to YarÁdua who came from the Northwest. But then, it was a patchwork; it was not thought through carefully, it was not deliberated upon, not even in the open; people didn't contribute to it. This thing has now received a divine intervention, God himself has now said 'no, that is not the correct way to zone this thing.' We see the late (Umaru Musa) Yar'Adua as a Niger Deltan, he did everything (to show that he is a Niger Deltan), he pronounced it, he lived it, he was very fair with us. It is so sad that he died, because some of the things he did for the Niger Delta, nobody else has done them sincerely, and we regret his death very much. But by his death, God has now decided to rezone the situation by saying that now, (Goodluck) Jonathan from the Southsouth and the Niger Delta should take over as President. The zoning starts from there, if there is any need to zone at all, it starts from there. Nobody can undo it, and I believe that my Northern friends and brothers have a saying, ato, (which means) as God pleases. Once God has made his own decision on zoning, I do not think any mortal is privileged to want to argue against it, so I think the matter has already been decided. We should take a cue from what God has decided.

In a country like this, shouldn't there be in place some strategic arrangement to make provision for all groups and zones?

This is not a matter of strategic arrangement or thinking; our political position in Nigeria is pretty complex, it has always defied logical solutions. The constitution, which we operate, does not have a place for zoning, but by the use of this numerical superiority, the North has kept power in that zone for 38 or more years out of our 50 years of existence, so that is more than fair.

Quite frankly, I do not think any arrangement would beat what has happened already. They have three zones in the North, the problem is that we have always found it difficult to persuade the North to go by the zonal system that has come to be politically accepted by the country, and I would go down into history a bit.

In 1967, we had the unfortunate disadvantage of having a civil war; before the shooting war actually started, General Gowon, luckily, he is still alive, and those who advised him following series national conferences came to the conclusion that the best thing was to create states. There had been serious political crisis, involving the killing of people in the North and parts of Eastern Nigeria in those days. At that time, what Gowon did was to create six states from the North, and six states from the South. (It was) a balancing act; out of the six states from the North, three of them were from the minority zones, the minority areas; Kwara, Benue Plateau, and a third state, they were all from the minority areas of the North. The six created in the South, similarly, included three states to the minority areas, and three to the majority areas. In the North, Kano was one of the majority states, then North Eastern and North western. In the South, the majority states were; East Central state, Western State, which is the Yoruba area, and of course, Lagos State. Then the minority states were Rivers, Midwest, which was later called Bendel State, and then the Southeastern State. So it was a balanced act; now again, when Gen (Abacha) decided that this balancing act should be sustained and retained, he now created six zones, three from the North, three from the South. This, to my mind is a logical basis for running the political affairs of Nigeria.

Somehow, the North has always preferred to run as one North, whereas in the South, we have always accepted the logical decision to create three zones from the South; the Southsouth, the Southeast and the Southwest. With this logical division, both in the North and in the South, the country should be running effectively and correctly. To answer the point, which you raised, if that were the case, the whole thing (power) can only rotate between a Northern zone and a Southern zone; the Northern zone produces a President, the Southern zone produces a Vice President, the next time round, the Southern zone produces a President, the Northern zone produces a Vice President, and so on, until the circle goes through. But once you muddle it up to one zone for the North, and three zones from the South, there is always going to be a problem; that is the problem we are having.

I think that our Northern brothers and friends should open up, and let's have the same arrangement that is acceptable to all Nigerians, and operate it; then it would be smooth for us all to live with.

In terms of stability and inter group relations across Nigeria, are you seeing a situation in which this argument might cause some disaffection?

There are those who like to heat up the polity purely for their own selfish reasons, otherwise, I do not see any reason. As I said, the North has produced the chief executive of this country for 38 out of the 50 years; I have appealed to my former boss and friend, President Babangida. And I said, 'look, you are an advocate of the rights of the Niger Delta minority, you have run this country for nine years, one year over the statutory period that the Constitution has provided. Now, the people of the Southsouth, the Niger Delta who you have always supported and advocated for think that they want to become President, and there are over 20million Nigerians in the Southsouth. They think that you should give them this chance to run as President, and we have a son who is already there, so it is a natural thing, give him a chance.' I think he (Babangida) will understand, he is a very reasonable, responsible and rational person. If everybody thought, not for himself, but for the benefit and interest of Nigeria, I do not see the present issue creating any problem at all.

So my appeal is to every Nigerian, be he northern or southern, to seek first the interest of Nigeria in considering this present political development, before thinking of their own zone, their own region or themselves. Once we see these things in that light, everything will work. Now that I am speaking, I am not speaking as a politician at all, I have withdrawn myself from partisan politics since the day I turned 65 years. So I am speaking purely as a Nigerian statesman having operated at the national level in my career in this country. So I think I have the right, the authority to speak freely in the national interest.

I was involved in every aspect, in the civil war, and various other national issues; I had been involved in creating the intelligence services in Nigeria in some form or another, so if I see anything that was going to threaten the national security, stability or solidarity of Nigeria, I have a right and duty to speak forth my mind, and that is what I am saying very clearly.

Taking about the sole dependence on oil and gas wealth, for how long can states continue along that path?

I don't know, I think it is a very tenuous situation for a whole country, so endowed, so blessed by God with natural resources. Almost every part of this country is arable; you can plant anything anywhere, even without the fertilizers they are talking about. In Nigeria, I will say up to 80 to 85 percent of the land space is arable. So we have land, we have people who are industrious, energetic, and who wish to work.

What is at fault is planning; why were our founding fathers able to run the country on agriculture, and we have allowed all of these very vital industries to die out, and we have governments who don't want to include these things in their own planning and find alternative sources of economic resources for the country; or involve themselves in the modern industries that are essential to the running of a state. How long can we continue like this? It is a question I would rather ask every Nigerian.

They should ask their governments what they are doing to create alternatives, further sources of economic survival for the country, because oil and gas are a wasting asset, they will dry out. Today, they are in the South south, tomorrow, maybe they will surface elsewhere. But let's not exhaust the oil and gas in the Niger Delta before we start looking for some other natural resource or other economic resource to run this country. It is a question for all Nigerians to ask their leaders and for governments to ponder on.

The National Assembly is considering the creation of more states, knowing that the 36 states continue to go to Abuja for monthly allocations, would you say that move is in the interest of Nigeria?

My view about the creation of more states is slightly different from those of other people; states were created to solve political problems, now they see it as being created to solve economic problems.      

Unfortunately, no state in Nigeria, frankly speaking, is generating any resources for itself. The whole country is being run on oil and gas wealth; nobody is working, no taxation, there is no agriculture, which we were living on before, no fisheries, nothing.

So the more states you create, the more demand on the oil and gas wealth, the more friction, etc. 36 states for a population of 150 million or so, is quite adequate. However, since it is now the issue of solving economic problems, then, we want to rationalize. I would think that the issue of state creation is to rationalize the economic benefits of state to all the deserving components.

In the face of this dysfunctional system, an elder statesman like Professor Ben Nwabueze has called for a bloody revolution, is that an option?

Ben is a respected lawyer, highly respected; lawyers don't call for revolution. We prefer to go by the rule of law; I am a lawyer. So I am sure Ben must have said this out of anger, that is the context in which I look at it. No more comments on that.

After over 10 years of democracy, insecurity is still a big problem; you were part of setting up intelligence agencies in Nigeria, would you say that your strategy for securing this country has been faulty from day one?

Not from day one, no, not at all. Remember that our structures and systems are based on, in most cases on long tested British and Commonwealth establishments, which are still functioning. The British are going to almost 1000 years of their existence as a corporate country, and other Commonwealth countries are also functioning. So what we had set up as a police, whether the Nigeria Police Force or the security intelligence services, which I fully participated in bringing about, are very solid structures, but you know that if you built a house, you have to keep upgrading it. Every year or every five or three years, you have to paint the house, and look at areas of it that have become necessary to repair, this is what is lacking.

Take the Nigeria Police Force for instance; it is one of the best in the world, well set up. But the thing has suddenly bloated over the years, and it has not been tended, as it should have been, so it is no longer able to serve the law and order requirements of the country.

A number of bodies, committees have been set up, they have made recommendations, and these are the processes that I am talking about; lubricate the system as you go along. The results of these committees and their recommendations sometimes are well taken care of, at other times, they are just put away in the drawer or filing cabinet. The security, intelligence and law and order structures are there to be updated, upgraded and tidied all the time, but this is not being done. Partly, the reason for this is that when executive heads of these agencies and services are appointed, they are left to go ahead and do their thing, the way they see it. There is hardly any blueprint that you will comply with; when I was in the security services, before I left, I wrote series of operational manuals and administrative instructions.

Nigerians are not used to doing such work, which they think is laborious. Even in the Police Force, we have been using the John Lean's model, and in the security services, we started using Sullivan's works, until people like me came up and accepted the challenges to start writing and updating. But this process should continue; it should not be a situation where John stops, you leave it for the next 10 years, and nothing is done, then you now set up a committee to try and tidy up, no.

The heads of these services, at the various levels should be reminded by written down instruction to comply with basic requirements of their offices. They should not merely be going to do routine administration everyday; like you are appointed Inspector General, running round crime and State Commands and so on. You should also look at the structure and add your own contribution, as you see it in the current sense, so that you would be able to produce the vital ingredient that would lubricate the system and move it forward to the next stage. Everybody taking up responsibility, whether as head of security service, police service or the military should be given the responsibility of upgrading the system, lubricating it and making it functional for the next person to take over and continue from there. That is lacking, and that is why we have problems.

There are social problems like unemployment and kidnapping. It has been argued that if these young men had jobs, they won't be involved in such crimes…

That is quite true; that is another area we have to attack. Government has a responsibility there, and they should think. If you think of the Western world, where we had copied our capitalism from, you find that the state-government is a minority provider of employment. The state doesn't employ many people; it only provides the engine room, the thinking that will enable the environment to be created for the private sector to provide extensive employment for all and sundry. This to my mind has faltered in our system. I once again refer to the Western world, if today, a graduate leaves school in any of the Western democracies, which we copy, he will expect to get a job, and they have been doing this in some cases for 500 years or more. And we, a young democracy of under ten years cannot anymore provide employment for our people, then something is wrong with our thinking. We have the best brains, some of the best brains in the world; we are not getting them to work to solve our problems. We have to think, provide the necessary basis, create the private sector institutions and give the incentives to individuals, to challenge and encourage them to provide employment for our people. But like I said, government is a minority employer, it cannot go on employing all the time, that is not what capitalism is meant for.

In the Niger Delta there's also the problem of youth unemployment; as former chairman of the Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC) are there lessons the Niger Delta Development Commission  (NDDC) can learn from your time in addressing the problem?

Yes, there are a lot of lessons; I must say that the engine room to the vehicle of the NDDC, which they are using, is still the OMPADEC framework. I did make a statement two years ago that many of the projects that the NDDC has been engaged in the past, were projects that I started as OMPADEC chairman; they have finished many, there are a few they have not finished. But the NDDC is an interventionist agency; you don't solve problems of the polity through interventionist agencies, they are a stopgap. They merely tidy a difficult situation and then disappear. The more effective the NDDC becomes, the more problems it would create for state governments. Take a situation; if the NDDC builds a school for instance, a hospital or such other things, it can't run it, it is not a state. This thing they have done, even if it is a road, it would have to be taken over, and to fit in the particular territorial area of a state, and the state has to prepare itself to accept and run this thing. That is why an interventionist agency must not be an eternal, long lasting and sustained process of development. It would not be able to do that successfully because it is better to use the state governments, the local governments to develop and run infrastructure, and other services for their territories, rather than depending on the NDDC, OMPADEC or anybody else as an interventionist agency to drive development across territories. It hardly works successfully; there is always a conflict, one way or the other.

Now to the issue of delivering credible elections in Nigeria, Professor Attaihiru Jega is there now and there are issues over how to get a new voters' register; how would all of that shape 2011?

It is too soon to predict; Jega has just been appointed, he has a herculean, really herculean task to contend with. Things in the past have been largely messed up because of political considerations, and when I see him, I hear him talking to the same old politicians, and I want to warn him, 'young man, you've got integrity and a reputation.' He should not be talking to those old politicians who had caused the complications in the past eight to ten years, he should shun them, and he should stay away from them completely, if he wants to run a system that is going to be credible and honest.

He is just taking over, we should give him the chance to come out with his own blueprint on how to provide us with a credible election in this country. And if anybody can do it, by his reputation, Jega can do it, and I wish him the very best of luck.

So when you say he is talking to some old politicians, in what exact context are you saying this?

Some old politicians, I read it in the papers, you go and read it and get the information.

You once had an ambition to be President of Nigeria, so President Jonathan may benefit from your experience in presidential politics; would you say he would be coming into the race as a late starter if he declares?

No, I think he is already running; in my last interview, I said to him that he had no choice; he has to run, because the 20 million people or more of the Niger Delta wish him to run. This is their chance, this is our turn, and as I said earlier, God has now put in place the proper zoning system that should be in place. The political infrastructure, the people all over the country, now wish Jonathan to run. We want a change, a new blood, a fresh start for our politics. It is not late, he has all the things on the ground; the party is there. All he has to do is to galvanise and give leadership to the party and its infrastructure, and then involve his own adherents into the system and he can take off. There is more than enough time for him to run and succeed.

What if there is an equally gifted politician from the North that runs against him?

Perfect, electoral contest is a democratic process; you have one candidate, then it is not democratic, it is not a contest. When you have two, good, when you have four, it is much better, and the best will emerge. That is what we wish for the country.

I also would like to add that the predictions by foreigners about the stability of Nigeria and the possibilities and potential for disintegration must be discounted. We as Nigerians must be determined to make our country work, and it will work. If there are other countries with more diverse and complicated political situations, and they are working, it takes human beings to make them work. We in this country can do equally the same thing to give our country the vibrancy, the leadership it deserves. Politics is always give and take; there must be the maturity to give and take, so that the country will work.
Source: The Guardian, 15^th August 2010.

How the zoning battle was won and lost in PDP

Yusuf Alli, Abuja

AHEAD of the 2011 general elections, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) last week laid to rest the fierce debate on whether or not to discard its zoning formula for political offices, especially as it concerned the presidency. Although the decision is strictly a party affair, it remains a source of contention. Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation, explores how the zoning battle was won and lost, and the implications

THE ill-health and eventual death of the late President Umaru Yar'Adua of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in May left in its wake two burdens that have rocked the nation in the last three months. While the National Assembly creatively resolved the power vacuum in the presidency with the so-called 'Doctrine of Necessity' to pave the way for the emergence of then Vice President Dr. Goodluck Jonathan as Acting President, and later President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the party has been polarized by the issue of whether to stick to its   zoning formula for the 2011 poll.

Since 1999, the PDP has applied Section 7(2c) of its constitution at all levels without hassles. The Section reads: "In pursuance of the principle of equity, justice and fairness, the party shall adhere to the policy of rotation and zoning of  party and public elective offices and it shall be enforced by the appropriate executive committee at all levels." It was based on this premise that the party conceded power to the South in 1999, leading to the election of ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo from the South West. The arrangement was that power would subsequently shift to the North, which led to Yar' Adua's election in 2007, after Obasanjo's two terms of eight years.

THE GENESIS

 The PDP in 1999 designed the zoning formula to give all the six geopolitical zones of the country a chance to have a shot at the presidency. Each zone was expected to enjoy a four-year term in the presidency after which the race would be thrown open. This led to the election of  Obasanjo. But the picture changed abruptly in 2002 following pressure on the Expanded National Caucus of the PDP to allow Obasanjo run for second term in 2003. The caucus bowed to pressure, leading to a breach of the zoning formula which did not envisage a second term for anyone. 

The death of Yar'Adua truncated the zoning of power to the North in 2007. Ordinarily, the North was looking forward to two terms of eight years for Yar'Adua. Before his ill-health, there were signals that the late President wanted a second term.

When Jonathan became President following Yar'Adua's demise, he said during a state visit to the US, "There are options for me, if I want to contest election. I can re-contest as a Vice-President to anybody. I can contest as a President because the law allows me but that is not my own priority now. My priority now is to see how within this little period left, what impact can we make."

A few months later, the Presidency took advantage of a pending corruption allegation against the then National Chairman of PDP, Prince Vincent Ogbulafor by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to remove him and hijack the party machinery ahead of primaries for 2011 race. Some governors and members of the party saw the approach as crude.

WHAT TRANSPIRED AT THE LAST NEC MEETING

The decision of  PDP's National Executive Committee (NEC)  on Thursday last week  was the last straw.   Jonathan  and his loyalists had wanted three things from  all the decision-making organs of the party, especially NEC. These are to review the zoning formula; endorse the President for the 2011 poll; and support online registration of members, a tactical way of mustering support for the President in readiness for the primaries. According to a  reliable source who attended the meeting :  "All I can tell you is that pro-zoning members had their way, the party refused to review its zoning formula ahead of 2011 poll.

"Most members were emphasizing equity, fairness and justice in their submissions to justify why zoning should be retained. Technically speaking, pro-zoning apostles, especially the North  had its way.

"In what appeared a soft-landing for the President, they added a caveat that Jonathan could contest like any other member of the party."

Asked to be specific, the source who attended the meeting said: "The National Chairman of the PDP read the resolution of the Expanded Caucus Meeting to NEC. After that, Governor Ibrahim Shema of Katsina State moved a three- in -one motion that zoning should stay; the President should be free to contest and all aspirants should go to the field to contest; and the online registration should be halted.

 "At the end of the day, the motion was endorsed pointing to the fact that the governors had done their homework and had prevailed on the Expanded Caucus Meeting (ECM) to accept the three-in-one motion.

"After the resolution, the mood of the President's camp at the meeting suggested a kind of unease because he has to oil his political machinery very well in running against the decision of the party.

"So, in the real sense of it, the ticket is open but most members would be guided by the party's decision that the zoning formula should be respected."

On the online registration, the source added that when it was raised, some governors rose up to condemn it.

He added: "To the surprise of everyone, governors perceived to be close to the President said NEC members do not want it. They said online registration is "no go area and should be stopped.

"All the governors and state party chairmen rejected the exercise which would have been launched on Friday.

"The NEC members asked that the online registration be stopped forthwith."

INTERPRETATIONS OF THE DECISION OF THE NEC

The NEC backed the retention of zoning as a party policy; in the same breath, it said that Jonathan had a right to contest the 2011 poll. The doublespeak pointed to a booby trap for the President. While the party is saying that the North should rule, it has told Jonathan to try his luck as usual. By blowing hot and cold on zoning, the NEC has shown that all is not well within the party.

A source in the pro- Jonathan camp, however, said: "The fact that the NEC affirmed the right of the president to contest was a leverage achieved.

 "Whatever the NEC decided was neither here nor there. Those governors and state party chairmen celebrating have only recorded a Pyrrhic victory if at all they think that NEC's decision is in their favour."

Nevertheless, it was a setback for the pro-Jonathan camp. A few days after the President had registered as a member of the party online, the same e-registration was canceled by the party's NEC.  The outcome of the NEC meeting demonstrated the influence that state governors have in the party.  Before the all-important NEC meeting, the governors had met with members of the G-84(state party chairmen and secretaries and FCT) in Asokoro where the deal on zoning was perfected in anticipation of voting at the meeting. Thus, whatever NEC decided was the handiwork of the PDP governors, especially the 10 influential ones backing zoning.

HOW THE ZONING DEBATE WAS WON AND LOST

 Jonathan's inexperience: It is on record that the President has never contested any election as the flagbearer; he has had the rare luck of having leadership thrust on him.

Wrong tactics: Observers believe that Jonathan's case was dented by the manner in which his loyalists   conducted the campaign to push him for the 2011 poll, which created suspicions in the North.

Allowing the zoning debate to drag on:  Jonathan and his loyalists committed a tactical blunder by allowing the zoning debate to drag on; it got to a stage that   the Northern Governors Forum decided to vote to resolve the logjam in Kaduna . At the end of the day, politicians whose empires were already dying emerged as heroes of the moment. A political scientist, Dr. Mohammed Baba said: "The President actually lost his goodwill to the zoning debate. As the leader of the PDP, he should have nipped the debate in the bud."

Underrating the PDP governors:    Prior to the NEC meeting, the governors were angry that they were sidelined on such issues as removal of ex-National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Vincent Ogbulafor(their support was sought after the President had made up his mind); new clause in the amended Electoral Act reducing official delegates to the National Convention; 2011 poll order negotiation with National Assembly leadership; online registration of members; and dissolution of State Executive Committees by the National Chairman, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo. Also, there were threats that eight of the governors might not come back in 2011. At least 22 governors of the PDP are seeking re-election and needed guarantees of automatic tickets in order to back the President too. A governor said :  "We have made our point that we still hold the ace in the party. We should all return to the negotiation table."

Nwodo as a burden to the President:   Nwodo's emergence as party chairman was designed to be an asset to the President.  To his credit, within the first few weeks in office, he succeeded in building a solid political bridge for Jonathan in the South-East and to some extent in the South-South. But he slipped into talking too much with his new found power as the National Chairman. Some PDP governors are angry with Nwodo over alleged denigrating comments made against them and the way he dissolved State Executive Committees of the party.

Nwodo had barred governors from his house ahead of lobbying for 2011 poll.

He told newsmen in Lagos: "Despite the injunction in my inaugural address that the days of buying nomination were over, do you know that they do not listen? Anyone who tries it again, I will disgrace him publicly.

"I have told our governors not to come to my house again. If they want to see me, they should come to my office."

WHAT OPTIONS FOR JONATHAN?

Not yet over for Jonathan:

For the pro-Jonathan camp, the dream may not be over as far as the 2011 poll is concerned. Despite the problem he has with some governors in PDP, he is still the front-runner among the party's presidential aspirants. Jonathan's greatest asset is said to be his support base in the Southern region which boasts about 17 states. With the exception of Bayelsa, Edo, Rivers, Delta, Osun, Ekiti, Ondo, Lagos and Ogun, he is considered strong enough to win more than 50 per cent of the total votes cast in the other eight states in the South.

To win the South-West, he may need the support of leaders like Asiwaju Bola Tinubu (ex-Lagos State Governor) and grassroots politicians such as Governors Olusegun Mimiko and Adams Oshiomhole, who belong to the opposition. However, Jonathan has so far given the opposition the cold shoulder on the controversial issue of zoning. At the NEC meeting, he noted, "Just look at the issue of zoning or no zoning; it is PDP affair. Whether we zone or we don't zone, it is our own internal affairs. But the debate is even being spearheaded more by non-PDP members."

Seeking control of the PDP machinery ahead of 2011 poll: It is back to the drawing board for the pro-Jonathan camp.  A source said: "One of the key issues Jonathan's camp is eyeing is the total control of the party machinery. You know, 22 governors are certainly due for re-election, it is only the candidate endorsed by the party that will contest.

"Unlike the era of ex-President Obasanjo, the President is too refined to use the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to hound anybody. But it is now a matter of high-wire politics. The President is ready for real politicking and negotiation ahead of PDP primaries.

"The delicate situation is beyond the North but there will be rapprochement and agreement across the six geopolitical zones. There is no cause for alarm.

"Apart from making inroads into the North, Jonathan's camp might also consider individual negotiation with some governors where necessary.

The source added: "There is no going back on the President's decision to contest in 2011.

"I can tell you that the President will soon make his declaration to contest the next presidential poll."

As part of its permutations, Jonathan's camp is said to be eyeing nine out of the 19 states in the Northern region.

Wooing the PDP governors:  The outcome of the NEC meeting was a signal to the pro-Jonathan camp that it is in the interest of the President to reach out to the governors for support; they want him to stoop to conquer. With much of Excess Crude Funds in their kitty, they could upset his aspiration.

Breaking the North: The President's team is already working on the likelihood of securing 25 per cent of the total votes cast in 10 Northern states.   There are indications that Jonathan's camp is working out a deal with Governors Ali Modu Sheriff (Borno) and Ibrahim Gaidam (Yobe) to boost moves to break the North's grip on nine states.

The states are Taraba, Nasarawa, Kogi, Plateau, Borno, Yobe, Kaduna , Benue , Bauchi and the FCT

It was learnt that three of the states that were not part of the initial voting pattern by Northern governors some weeks ago in Kaduna have joined the anti-zoning campaign.

The three states are Borno, Yobe and Bauchi..

A source said: "Despite the decision of NEC, there is appreciable confidence in the President's camp that at least nine out of 19 states in the North would vote massively for him.

"Political leaders and all the nine governors of the affected nine states have reached consensus to work for the President and the mood of their people suggests this.

"If you add that to some states in the South,  that is appreciable.

"With ex-Head of State, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, ex-President Ibrahim Babangida, ex-Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, and Governor Ibrahim Shekarau coming out, the votes from the remaining 10 states in the North will surely be split.

"All that Jonathan's camp will work for is at least 25 per cent of the total votes cast in the remaining 10 states.

"That is why the President's camp felt that it is time for him to come out and declare his intention."

The source said the commitment of Governors Ali Modu Sheriff and Ibrahim Gaidam, (from the opposition) to Jonathan's campaign will help checkmate the influence of some leaders of the G-15 in the North-East axis, especially Mallam Adamu Ciroma.

He added: "I can confidently tell you that there is collaboration between Sheriff and Gaidam with the President's team. There is a deal over 2011 poll with the governors outside their party, All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP),  because these governors have grassroots support.

"As part of the negotiation, new ministers have been appointed from Yobe and Borno states. In fact, the nominee from Borno State , Hajiya Yabawa Lawan Wabi is a sister-in-law to the state governor.

"Key leaders from  Borno-Yobe axis like Senator Albishir, the Minister of Police Affairs, Alhaji Adamu Maina Wazir, the ANPP Minority Leader in the House of Representatives, Alhaji Mohammed Ndume, ex-Governor Abba Bukar Ibrahim(now a Senator) and the Minister of Works, Senator Sanusi Daggash( a personal friend of the President) have bought into the Jonathan project."
Source: The Nation, 15^th August 2010.

Zoning: PDP Having Its Cake And Eating It

BY ALABI WILLIAMS

THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) last Thursday added to the confusion arising from the challenges 2011 has thrown at it. The party resolved at its NEC meeting that President Goodluck Jonathan could run for the 2011 presidential election on its platform. Yet, it agreed that its zoning arrangement should stay.

If the zoning arrangement of the party is not tampered with, it means that the North, preferably the Northwest, which the late President Umaru Yar'Adua represented, should be the preferred zone to produce the presidential candidate of the party for the 2011 elections.

The leadership of the party seems to be very confused right now. The party should have simply announced that it would permit the President to test his popularity at its primaries, since it does not have the authority to debar any aspirant who meets the statutory requirements provided in the Constitution of the Federal Republic, which is superior to the party's constitution.

To say that Jonathan can contest is trite and of little value to dousing the high tension being generated in the polity, because any other ambitious political parties could have issued similar statements.

Perhaps, it is out of respect for the sitting President that the PDP does not want to tell him to his face to retire or look for another platform. Such an option could take the country through another round of constitutional upheaval, if a serving President were to dump his party and use the presidential resources to campaign on the platform of another party.

These are, indeed, no ordinary times for Africa's 'largest' political party and, by extension a precarious season for democracy in the country. The PDP and the political class have taken too many things for granted and the catalogue of constitutional crises harvested since 1999 are the consequences of one of the worst versions of democracy found any where around the globe.

If the party does not get it right towards 2011, the polity would continue to suffer. Already, governance is close to being wound up in Abuja and in the States because all eyes are on the next elections. This was the reason Jonathan claimed he had been reluctant to declare his intentions regarding 2011. He said he feared that governance would be affected if he declines or agrees to contest.

Now that he is yet to declare and the PDP is unable to decide, has the President and his party been fair to the polity, to continue to leave 2011 in the hands of speculators and hired crowds? Does this provide an enabling environment for democracy to flourish and for elections to be properly planned and executed?

The funds to enable Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) acquire fresh machines to carry out voters' registration for the 2011 elections have just been appropriated via a Supplementary Act. It, thus, puts the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) under serious time constraints, as if there were no plans for the elections in the original 2010 budget. This is the ridiculous handiwork of a ruling party that takes pleasure in starving the electoral body of funds, since inception, and yet 'wins' elections without adequate preparations.

The PDP was unable to be categorical last Thursday, and that means political tension would continue to feature in the coming days and weeks. Right now, the party has a lot of issues on its hands. Apart from the zoning conundrum, it is in serious need of reformation, just the way the late President envisioned it, when he promised electoral reforms that would be far-reaching to cleanse the party systems and neutralize the evil machinations of individual godfathers.

But those who are in charge now prefer to prosecute 2011 using the old order. The PDP has effectively transformed into an election winning apparatus since 1999. The party does not achieve this because of its mass appeal, or the popularity of its programmes.

The party, as it stands now, is the most disorganized and rancorous; but the access it has acquired to invade the resources of the country gives it the leverage to coerce and harass other institutions into submission. The party believes that once it overcomes the zoning palaver, whomever it fields in 2011 must win.

PDP members are united on account of this access to wealth and the different power blocs can decide to work together in order to protect their interests. This is why the party cannot reform now, in spite of the new focus by the leadership to liberalise its systems.  

National chairman of the PDP, Okwesilieze Nwodo, coming from his own political deprivations, is eager to ignite the machinery for reforms, but reactionary forces within the party do not want the status quo tampered with, at least not before the 2011 elections. The novel idea of e-Registration, which was flagged-off last week, has now stymied, because it is feared to have the capacity to reduce or totally eradicate the influence of godfathers within the party. That was the resolution of the NEC of the party, even after President Jonathan had hailed the idea of online registration of members, and had been registered using the process as a sampler.

Some PDP governors were said to have discredited the idea, with several of them arguing that their landmass is waterlogged, and so will not favour online registration. Sounds absurd, but the powerful clan of governors conveniently denounced the process, and compelled the NEC to put it in abeyance. That is the background that permits party chieftains at the levels to decide when to open the party membership register or to close it, depending on whether they like the face of a member or not.

The PDP used the renewal of it register in 2005 to de-register some members, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Nwodo and other notable members. Today, some of these members are stranded because some persons do not want them to return. Governors will find this tool very useful towards 2011, so that they can deal decisively with their enemies and other opposition within.

Nwodo had also wanted to reduce the larger-than-life influence enjoyed by governors, who are backed by the party constitution to have multiple delegates at their beck and call. With that, they can go to the elective convention and decide where the votes should go. The governors are not pleased with this and they are warming up to discredit Nwodo. They are trading carrots with Jonathan, to let status quo remain, so that they too would support his candidacy. These are the antics of a ruling party that does not debate excellence and capacity for service.

While the PDP is undecided, it has left room for individual politicians to take to the market place in search for allies that could help their cause. Former Military President, Ibrahim Babangida and Atiku Abubakar are not relenting. They were reported to have met with some leaders from the Southeast, to broker some relationship. Other leaders from the zone have denounced the meeting and the resolutions allegedly reached.

Babangida has been in this business for a while now, seeking to return to Aso Rock. In both 2003 and 2007, he gave up the battle when he saw the mountain of opposition on his way. But he seems very resolved now, perhaps, because he is yet to see any formidable candidate, either in the PDP or elsewhere.   

As a Maradona, Babangida does not put his cards in one box, so that when the coast becomes fuzzy, he could elope. It is difficult to say whether he is a PDP member or not. He keeps his cards very close to his chest.

Atiku Abubakar says he has returned to the PDP, while some party members in Adamawa say it is a lie. Atiku would have reaped the benefits of online registration, to go ahead some godfathers in Adamawa and register himself. But now, his fate remains dicey, and this could be a way the PDP wants to play by old rules, to frustrate those who dare to aspire.

Tomorrow, a gathering of the Southeast leaders will meet to take crucial decisions that could douse the heat or flare the fires. The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has been speaking, too. The last report from the body was that they want the PDP to zone its presidency to the North. 

This is the time jokers are played, to decide where the debate goes. The days, weeks and months ahead will witness a lot more intrigues and confusion, but it is hoped that politicians will think more of Nigeria than of themselves.
Source: The Guardian, 15^th August 2010.

Zoning: Ekweremadu Hails PDP on Peaceful Resolution

From Kunle Akogun in Abuja

Deputy Senate President Senator Ike Ekweremadu has commended the  ruling People Democratic Party for resolving the lingering zoning debate with the outcome of its National Executive Committee  (NEC) meeting on Thursday.

He noted that the resolution has given hope to the marginalised  sections of the country that at the appropriate time, their cries would be heard, saying the South-east especially, which has presided over the country for only six months was hopeful that very soon, this injustice would be addressed and the presidential slot would be conceded to it.

In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Mr. Paul  Odenyi, the Deputy Senate President, who is one of the conveners of the planned South-east Political Summit, also said the PDP NEC decision has made the summit scheduled to hold in Enugu on Monday  unnecessary.

He said the cancellation of the planned summit was after due  consultation with South-east leaders including governors because of the obvious settlement of the zoning debate.

The South-east Political Summit was planned to articulate the zone's  position on zoning of the Presidency within the PDP in line with the  nationwide debate ahead of the 2011 presidential election.

Reacting to the decision of NEC on zoning Ekweremadu argued that "on  the account of the peculiar circumstance of the Jonathan Presidency,  there is need to carry along all parts of the country by giving access  to the highest position in the land. And also giving the contribution  of the South-south geo-political zone to the economy of the country,  the PDP NEC's decision should be viewed from this per-spective."

He noted that the South-south has been the least favoured on access to  the Presidency of this country, saying, "this is the first time that somebody from the South -south is reaching that position after 50  years of nationhood."

He explained that " Nigeria has in the past addressed similar  injustices, like the June 12 which gave rise to the national consensus  on the South west presidency of President Olusegun Obasanjo . Ekweremadu said, "In the same vein, the South-East has presided over  Nigeria for only six months. I hope that at the appropriate time, this  point will be noted by the entire country with a view to addressing  the injustice and concede the presidential slot to the South East",  adding,

"This sense of fairness, equity and justice is a sure  foundation for peace and progress in this country".  He also preached unity and cohesion in the South-East zone, saying  "Time has come for the South-East to speak with one voice and for all

the stakeholders to work in unison in the overall interest of the  people of the South East. South-East in the past has worked and  contributed immensely to the unity and progress of this country as a  major component of the nation and will never shy away from that  commitment. Working together we can build an enviable nation in spite

of our diversity. We must all be prepared to make sacrifices and show  understanding.  "The manner the PDP resolved this seeming crisis demonstrate the power

of dialogue over confrontation and we should not see power as a matter  of life and death but as a privilege to serve. It is important that  wherever we find ourselves in power, we must be fair to all concerned  and demonstrate brotherhood to all segments of the country".
Source: This Day, 14^th August 2010.

Zoning and the Presidency: Where PDP Stands

By Yemi Adebowale

In a bid to provide clarity on the outcome of the meeting held last Thursday by the National Executive Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party, the ruling party has stated that there was no ambiguity between its position paving the way for President Goodluck Jonathan, or indeed any other person to contest the 2011 presidential election, and the decision to retain the zoning and power rotation formula of the party.

Explaining the position of the PDP yesterday, its officials acknowledged that whilst the party has decided to stand by the zoning and power sharing arrangement as provided in the party's constitution, the view of its chieftains in arriving at the decision is that they recognise the late President Umaru Yar'Adua/Jonathan candidacy as subsisting.

Accordingly, should Jonathan decide to contest the 2011 presidential election, it will be a continuum of the Yar'Adua/Jonathan ticket, which would have most likely re-contested and most probably secured the presidential ticket of the party had Yar'Adua been alive, hale and hearty to run.

Throwing more light on the decision arrived at by NEC, PDP's highest decision making body, one party leader stated that "the party arrived at the option bearing in mind that had Yar'Adua been alive and able to contest, he would most likely have contested for a second term with Jonathan as his running mate.

"So we felt that opening the flood gates to make it possible for Jonathan to contest, would be a continuum of that same ticket that was presented by the party in the 2007 presidential election.

"However, this does not mean that we had to jettison the zoning and power rotation arrangement as this is enshrined in the PDP constitution and was in the interest of national unity."

Continuing, the PDP member explained that by retaining the zoning and power rotation arrangement, what this means is that should Jonathan decide to contest the election and wins, the power equation for the highest offices in the land will be reshuffled accordingly.

"As you know, since Yar'Adua's death, we have not reshuffled the highest offices in the country to conform to the zoning arrangement of the party.

"This would, however, have to be changed because if Jonathan is contesting and he is from the South-south, then his running mate and the zone he represents would determine which zones will occupy the other offices such as the Senate presidency, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and those of their deputies," the PDP chieftain said.

He maintained that the party felt it was necessary to make its position known because there was some misconception that emerged over its intention after Thursday's meeting of the NEC.

Following weeks of a stalemate over the zoning and power rotation arrangement of the party, the NEC two days ago came up with the position that the president, and indeed any other person, could contest in the 2011 presidential election. The party, nonetheless, decided to retain its zoning and power rotation policy but freed up the 2011 presidential race to other party members wishing to contest.

To arrive at its decision, the PDP NEC took the position canvassed in separate presentations by its chairman Dr Okwesilieze Nwodo and Board of Trustees member Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia that the Umaru Musa Yar'Adua/ Goodluck Jonathan joint ticket continues to subsist notwithstanding Yar'Adua's death on May 6.As such, the PDP determined that Jonathan could contest the 2011 poll but that other interested party members were also free to contest.

This would appear to have given former military President Ibrahim Babangida and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, both of whom had been rooting for zoning, the leeway to contest the poll.The NEC meeting was attended by President Jonathan, Vice-President Namadi Sambo, Senate President David Mark, House of Representatives Speaker Dimeji Bankole and 24 governors and deputy governors of the party. It was the longest PDP NEC meeting, which lasted for almost six hours.
Source: This Day, 14^th August 2010.

'How we arrived at zoning formula'

VINCENT IKUOMOLA

Would you say that INEC and the nation are ready for 2011 election given the short time the electoral body has to prepare?

I must confess that the time we have at hand is limited, but I tell you one thing, it is better to start very late than never. If INEC is given all that it requires, nothing stops it from conducting the 2011 election in a free and fair manner. First of all, I think the major thing for INEC to do right now is to review the voters' register and that to me wouldn't take too long. The moment the voters' register has been reviewed that means that we can then vote according to the register. If that is done, next year's elections will be free and fair and it will be successful. But if we do not review the voters' register that means we have not even started at all. Now on next year's elections, for you to say whether it will be free and fair or not, first of all you have to appreciate those factors that always make elections not to be free and fair and to me they are quite simple. First of all the incumbent will use the instrument of government, the security agencies to intimidate people and I am sure the president will not want to be associated with such a scenario. If the security agencies are made to understand that they are not there for any political party or neither are they there for the incumbency or even for opposition, the election will be free and fair. If all these are tidied up, we are sure that we will have free, fair and acceptable elections.

There is this argument in some quarters that the president should not contest in the coming presidential election to ensure a free and fair election. What is your view on this?

That is a perception this is quite understandable. If we have been following President Jonathan's antecedent very well, you will know that he is not a man that lusts after power. If we say that an incumbent running means he must necessarily win, then that means we are still living in the perception of those who are clamouring that he shouldn't run because the moment he runs means that he must win. It is that perception that is driving people to say he shouldn't run. I believe that for a man who has given an undertaking even before the international communities that he will conduct free and fair elections, if his party decides to present him, he knows that he must conduct free and fair elections. He will not do those things that others do to perpetrate themselves in power and that is using the security agencies to oppress others and ensure that they win. If Jonathan doesn't do any of this and he wins, the election will be acclaimed to be free and fair and if he loses, then the Jonathan that I know will go home satisfied that at least he was able to conduct an election that is free and fair.

What is your view on the constitutional amendment, especially regarding governors' perceived overbearing influence on states legislatures?

I must strongly express my disappointment at the states assemblies for rejecting those sections that are to ensure their autonomy and independence. I have served in the Rivers State House of Assembly as majority leader, I have served in the Senate as the chief whip and it has always be my dream that one day, the legislature will be independent and autonomous because what happens in most cases is that the executive will like to be in charge, in control and if possible just have rubber stamp legislature. Today, we have a National Assembly that has been able to insert the autonomy of the legislatures in the constitution amendment and they are rejecting it. I know that this must be as a result of overbearing influence of the state executives but for the sake of crying loud, are these house members going to be there forever? Are the state governors going to remain there forever? What we are talking about is institutional development and changes and not individual development and changes. Among the present crop of governors, some will be out of office by the virtue that they have stayed the maximum two terms and will never be governors again. Some will stay highest till 2014 and will leave. The question is after that, where will they have left the democratic institution? Will they want to go home happy that the autonomy of the legislature has not been entrenched in the constitution? Will they be happy if tomorrow their children find themselves in the House of Assemblies and will want some autonomy and later find out that it was their fathers who ensured that there is no autonomy for the legislature? Most importantly, the legislators should know that the decision they are taking is not for themselves, but for the legislative institution. And so I want them to quickly review their decision on this issue and support the autonomy.

The issue of zoning in the 2011 general elections has been in the front burner in the last few months, especially as it concerns President Goodlcuk Jonathan. What is your take on this?

When the expanded national caucus of PDP deliberated on the issue of zoning in 2002, where I was privileged to be in attendance, that meeting was meant to address a specific situation, being the 2003 general elections. There were several issues such as the planned impeachment of the then president. For that election, the position was zoned to the South and of course the Northerners who were there canvassed for the position going to the North after that. In 2002, the late Abubakar Rimi vehemently opposed that understanding and did say he was going to run and nobody stopped him. So, when you have breached the same understanding that you now want to use, how can you enforce it. Zoning is a matter of convenience. If we talk about zoning today, we have to put it in its proper perspective. We all know world wide that every party that has sitting president does not throw away the sitting president and then bring in an outsider or a greenhorn and run that election expecting victory. There is always this unwritten norm that says let the incumbency continue. And so the present circumstance that will determine the zoning is the situation that will allow our party PDP to win the general elections.

What would be the Niger Delta agenda for President Jonathan should he decide to run come 2011 presidential election?

God knows why he has made him the president of the country today and not wait till 2011 before making him the president. So, the Niger Delta people are waiting earnestly and candidly to see what president Jonathan is going to put on ground for them before 2011 and that is why I will even recommend to Mr. president not to be distracted because all the noise urging him to run or not to run could be a ploy to distract him. He should ensure with immediate effect that development programmes take off in the entire Niger Delta. It is when the people see such a thing that they would know that government is closer to them and they are also in government. Talking about 2011, if the party gives him the mandate, the Niger Delta people will know for once that Nigeria accepts them as part of the project called Nigeria. Secondly it also means that we have been given an opportunity to solve our problem ourselves. What I mean by that is that I can hardly believe that a non-Niger Delta person will appreciate the problem of the Niger Delta than the Niger Delta person. He knows the terrain, the level of poverty and oppression we have undergone all these years. It is only a Niger Delta person that can solve all these problems and of course President Jonathan who grew up in the Niger Delta area and also schooled there will be in a better position to solve the problems of the Niger Delta and therefore ensuring that we have internal peace. I can tell you one thing if in 2011 someone who does not appreciate the problems of the Niger Delta comes up and treats it the way it has been treated in the past, God forbid, the burble may burst and I am sure that is not what we desire from the Niger Delta. We want peace and God forbid that we get back to where we just came out from.
Source: The Nation, 13^th August 2010.

Zoning Debate a Negation of Nigerian Nationhood, says Emeka Anyaoku

Former Secretary General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku has warned that the ongoing debate on zoning within the PDP is not in the interest of the nation. Read the respected view of the world statesman here below:

"From a national and non-partisan view point, I must warn that the ongoing zoning debate within the PDP is a negation of Nigerian nationhood. To all observers, it was clear that the zoning that occurred in 1998/99 was a direct response to the unique national crisis precipitated by the inexplicable annulment of the country's hitherto most credible presidential election and the subsequent death of its acknowledged winner, MKO Abiola, in incarcerration.

"The crisis had taken Nigeria to the precipice of national disintegration and the two main political parties at the time wisely responded by selecting their presidential candidates from the seriously aggrieved geographical zone of the country.

"This response was comparable to what happened in Canada in 1968 when in reaction to a similar threat to Canada's continued existence as one polity by a secessional movement in Quebec the French speaking zone of the country, the out-going Prime Minister, Lester B Pearson, led the governing Liberal Party, to go over the heads of the established party leaders from the English-speaking zones to choose a young French-speaking politician, Pierre Trudeau, as the new Prime Minister in order to save the integrity of Canada.

"Nigeria, like Canada, should by now have consigned both that unique and hopefully unrepeatable national crisis of 1993-98 to history. To advocate zoning today, 50 years after our independence, is therefore like reintroducing a therapy that was applied to a national ailment which all patriotic citizens would regard as having been successfully treated with the reaffirmation of Nigerian nationhood over a decade ago. And this is particularly so when the debate involves splitting, in the name of zoning, a previously agreed presidential ticket that has been touched, not by man, but by Providence.

"Because of its potential serious implications for our national unity, I urge all concerned to handle the zoning debate with utmost circumspection."

Chief Emeka Anyaoku CFR,CON
Source: Vanguard, 12^th August 2010.

Zoning agreement no longer realistic —Ekwueme

Festus Eriye, Lagos

FORMER Vice-President Alex Ekwueme was central to the original agreement of the founding fathers on power rotation and zoning. In this interview with Festus Eriye, Managing Editor, he retraces the genesis of the power-sharing pact, and argues that the solution to the current row over zoning is to review the agreement

Let's start with the political hot potato of the moment – zoning. There was purportedly an agreement within the PDP about it and yet none of those who came to this understanding agrees on what the particulars are. You were at the heart of the formation of the party: what is the real story of the zoning arrangement?

I think we have to go further back than the PDP. We have to go back to the 1994/1995 Constitutional Conference because that's where all the basic agreement about zoning and rotation was hammered out. At that conference it was agreed that there would be rotation between the South and North; and in the North between the three geo-political zones; and in the South between the three geo-political zones.

All this was contained in the 1995 constitution which General Sani Abacha was to promulgate before taking up the proposed civilian presidency in October 1998. As you well know, he died in June of that year. So this constitution was not promulgated. But the heart of that agreement was, unquestionably, that the presidency was to be on the basis of a single term. There was no contemplation in the 1995 constitution of a two-term presidency, or two-term governorship, for that matter. It was stated clearly that the presidency would go from geo-political zone to geo-political zone every five years.

The president would serve for a single term of five years. The governor would serve for a single term of five years, and the governorship would rotate between the three senatorial zones of the state. It was stipulated that this rotation, of course, would go on for a period of thirty years, by which time we assumed that all the six geo-political zones in the country would have had a shot at the presidency for a single term of five years – during which period we would have built, expectedly, a Nigerian nation so that after that nobody would be thinking about geo-political zones or ethnic origin and so on.

We would then look for the best Nigerian from wherever he comes who would develop the country and who would the give the masses of the people what government is supposed to give them. So at the root of the whole argument was the question of a single term for the president. Now this 1994/1995 agreement was inherited by the PDP when we formed it, because those of us who were active in the agreement at the Conference, were also active in the organisation of the PDP. It was not actually until 2002, I think it was when President Obasanjo wanted to have a second term… that is really at the root of this problem, that he called an expanded caucus meeting of the party at the Villa, and there the caucus agreed that he could have a second term – which was contrary to the basis of our original agreement. Forty-seven people voted for that proposal.

Did you say 47 ?

Yes. Two against and two abstained. I was one of the two abstentions because I felt the whole basis for the discussion was not related to the basis of the original proposal. There was no reason why Obasanjo would want a second term after having four years – otherwise if every zone had their eight years and it would go down the six zones, it would take 48 years before it came back to the original zone, and that wouldn't make any sense.

Forty-eight years is too long for us to build… Twenty-four years is enough for us to work and put our act together and forge a Nigerian nation, and after which we would look at the best person – no matter where he comes from – to give us leadership. That was why I abstained because the basis for the discussion was flawed. And, as you know, in 2003 I contested the primaries against him and some others did. Now it was when the discussion was going about whether Obasanjo should have this second term or not, that one of the members of the caucus – specifically Alhaji Lawal Kaita, former governor of Kaduna State in the Second Republic – said if we are going to give Obasanjo a second term making eight years, then it should be understood that after we in the South have taken eight years, then the North is going to have two terms as well making up eight years – before it comes back to the South.

And because the people were very anxious to support Obasanjo's second term, they did not bother to consider the full implications of the proposal made by Lawal Kaita. They said, 'Yes, okay, okay, okay!' So if you see the minutes of that meeting – and it's been published in the papers – it said there that we would have eight years after which it would come to the North for eight years. The issue is this: at the time all this discussion was taking place, nobody had the contemplation or gave thought to the possibility that a president might die in office. So the people who are adopting extreme positions – who are saying that the North must have eight years, are not being entirely considerate of the situation because the eight years was regarded to be a two-term presidency of four years each.

Clearly, there's no way we can now have the late President Yar'Adua to have a second term. And those who are saying there was no agreement because the agreement was breached are also not being realistic because this was an understanding. What all this boils down to is that the elders of the party who worked out this agreement in the first place must sit down and look at it again in the light of circumstances that have arisen. First, that there is a president in place whose zone has not had a shot at the presidency, and therefore is entitled to have a shot at the presidency. Secondly, that the former president from the North has passed on and therefore cannot be revived to have a second term.

If you look at the 1995 constitution that I referred to earlier, we did make provision there for multiple vice presidency because we took time to think about some of the problems that could arise. We felt that one of the vice presidents would come from the zone of the president. So that if it is the turn of the South – and you have Southern vice president and Northern vice president – if anything happened to the Southern president, it is the Southern vice president who will take over so that the presidency does not move across rotational boundaries and zones.

All that was thrown away in the 1999 constitution which did not take into consideration all the work we did for 12 months – from June 26, 1994 to June 26, 1995. We considered so many things based on Nigeria's history. For instance, you would find that there was provision for, more or less, a government of national unity at all times. The president would appoint half of the ministers from his party, but the other half would come from all the parties that contested and that were able to get a certain percentage of the vote by proportional representation.

So it wouldn't be that the question of government of national unity would now be at the president's discretion. It would have sufficed so that this Pull-him-down syndrome would have been eliminated: everybody would have been a part of it and any disagreement would be discussed, and work out what would be in the interest of Nigeria and everybody would be carried along. This is just to give you two examples of provisions that were made and which have been abandoned.

A similar thing happened with the governorship because if the governorship was not moved from senatorial district to senatorial district initially, it would have become impossible for people from certain districts to become governor. That is why the demand for states would continue to come up. I can think of two examples right away. In Benue, it would be very difficult under the present arrangement, without zoning being entrenched in the constitution, for anybody other than a Tiv to be governor. In Kogi, it is very difficult for anybody other than an Igala to be governor.

We saw this in 1999. Our party was in control of Kogi at Local Government and House of Assembly elections, but when it came to governorship elections because ANPP, APP as it was then, nominated somebody from Kogi East – an Igala as candidate – and we nominated somebody from Okun as our candidate, even our own PDP members who are Igala must have swung across to vote for the ANPP man and we were defeated. When it came round now and we nominated Ibrahim Idris (Ibro) from Kogi East, he won. So Kogi and Benue are examples. We took time to think about all the problems we've had over the previous 45 years and work out solutions to them. Unfortunately, all this work seems to have been wasted and thrown into the dustbin.

The long and short of this is that the elders of the party who were at the ground floor of the zoning arrangement must get together and revisit the issue in the light of circumstances as they now exist. It is going to be unconscionable to tell an incumbent president who's had only a year not to contest an election which he's constitutionally qualified to contest –especially given the fact that his zone had never held power.

In the keynote address I gave to a meeting of South East people at Presidential Hotel in Enugu in 1994 before going to the conference, I gave an analysis of those who have held power as head of government since Independence – starting with Tafawa Balewa from the North-East, Bauchi, 1960 to January 15, 1966; Ironsi, South-East, from January 15, 1966 to July 29, 1966 – that is barely six months; Gowon, North-Central, from July 29, 1966 to July 29, 1975 – exactly nine years; Murtala Muhammed, North-West, from July 29, 1975 to February 13, 1976 – barely seven months; Obasanjo, South-West, from February 13, 1976 to September 30, 1979 – three years and seven months or thereabouts; Shagari, North-West, from October 1, 1979 to December 31, 1983 – four years and three months; Buhari, North-West, December 31, 1983 to August 26, 1985 – that's 20 months; Babangida, North-Central, August 26, 1985 to August 25, 1993 – that's eight years less one day; then Shonekan, 82 days, from the South-West; then Abacha who was there as at the time I was doing this analysis, he was from the North-West. Of all the six zones, the South-South had not produced a head of government even for one day, and the South-East had produced a head of government for barely six months.

So our proposal at that conference was that the first head of state when we got back should be from the South-South. So this is the first opportunity… I am not going to get into the problem they have suffered in terms of degradation and decay that they suffered in the process of producing the resources that have sustained Nigeria. This is the first opportunity that a person from there has to become the head of government. So it is clear that we must look at the whole scenario holistically and review our understanding in the light of the circumstances that have evolved, and then get a new solution to the problem.

My reading from what you've just said is this: there was no written agreement but there was a gentleman's agreement and understanding between the elders of the party. In principle, you are not saying that zoning should be dumped, but that a special case has to be made, in this instance, given the circumstances under which this president has emerged. Is that the case?

Well, you've summarised it in your own way. First, let me be clear that I am from the South-East and I am interested in having somebody from the South-East become president of Nigeria in my life time, not myself necessarily. I have had my innings and made my own effort. But it would be very sad for me to die believing that South-East is still not part of Nigeria. So we must work out a system that would ensure that every zone of the country must have a chance to govern Nigeria, because we must have Nigeria before we have all the items that come your way. Having Nigeria means having everybody in Nigeria feeling that he's part of Nigeria, and that is to some extent, one of the raison d'etre for our original submission of zoning and rotation principle.

Your colleague, Adamu Ciroma, was quoted recently in the newspapers as saying if PDP goes back on this original understanding on zoning, it would pay a price in the North. Others have equally argued that if the party refuses to accommodate the South-South aspiration as represented by Jonathan, it would also pay a price down South. As a party insider do you think there's room for middle ground and political solution? Do you also fear that PDP would pay dearly if the North does not throw up the party's presidential flag bearer for 2011?

I have not read everything that's been said on this subject because I've been out of the country for sometime, but what I read on Ciroma's statement…he said he would like the matter to be based on agreement and not for it to be done by ambush. I suspect that he would agree to what I am saying now that the elders of the party must sit down and review the original agreement in the light of circumstances that have evolved and, if possible, modify that agreement to accommodate everybody so that we move together as one party instead of people pulling in different directions.

In this environment it very difficult to go against the incumbent. But in 2003 you decided to run against the sitting president – Olusegun Obasanjo. You mentioned earlier that you abstained in the vote that allowed him to run for a second term. So were you just trying to make a statement or did you really believe at that point in time that you could win the PDP ticket?

I hope I would not be misunderstood as being unnecessarily critical, but I didn't think the president, as he was then, performed in his first term. Such was the confidence reposed in the PDP almost totally throughout the country – apart from the South-West at that time. All the six states in the South-South were PDP, all the five states in the South-East were PDP and 10 of the 19 states in the North were PDP; and we had representation in the National Assembly. If with that type of support from the public we could not run a government that would be acclaimed by the generality of the masses of Nigerians, then something is wrong somewhere.

So, in my view, the president did not perform well throughout his first term. Secondly, as I told you, the basis of our original agreement about zoning was a single term. And I didn't think it was right to assume that talking about South was equivalent to talking about South West, or that talking about North was equivalent to talking about North-West. Our thinking at the Constitutional Conference was that anybody who had a programme for Nigeria should be able to accomplish that programme within five years, and make his mark and move on.

When it comes round again – if he has done so well that Nigerians want him – they would bring him back. But it isn't right for him to be an incumbent, sitting there and supervising an election – which creates a lot of problems. I was hoping that Nigerians in PDP would understand the position because even in 1999 when both of us ran in Jos…I don't have to give you reasons; you people already know the reasons why he was foisted on the electorate.

I won't call it a military coup, but it is not too far from that. So I thought 2003 was the time to correct that, and let us move on in a full civilian way, and get this rotation thing going so that every part of the country would have it so that within 24 years we would try and build up Nigeria and focus on national integration. But instead of having national integration, the first four years of President Obasanjo tended to pull us apart more than bring us together.

In our environment leaders often see that sort of move as a personal challenge. Did your decision to run against Obasanjo for the party ticket in 2003 affect your relationship?

With President Obasanjo?

Yes.

No, not at all, as far as I am concerned.

Your access to him was still there…

Yes.

When you conceived the PDP, I gathered that, at that point, what the leading politicians in the country wanted was a model fashioned after South Africa's African National Congress (ANC) that would bring everyone under one large umbrella. Would you agree that the PDP in the last 10 years has lost its way in terms of that original concept?

First, we did not achieve that objective because the people who were with us in the formative stages of the party from the South-West…Chief Bola Ige, may his soul rest in peace, Olu Falae and others with whom we were in the Institute of Civil Society, with whom we organised the All Politicians Summit, with whom we organised the G34 and all of us were present and endorsed the memorandum which we sent to Abacha, at the last minute – from what I heard…because they felt that the presidential nomination of the party was already sewn up in my favour because I was the one promoting the party as chairman at the time… naturally, the people who had presidential ambitions did not think there was room for them there. So first they moved out and tried to get an understanding with ANPP and they did.

That one collapsed and they formed AD on the last day before the registration of parties. Actually, as we all know, AD did not qualify for registration at that time, but the military said that for security reasons they would register it. So already we had lost a chunk of our constituency if we were thinking of forming a party that was all-embracing, including everybody – something that would be a mass movement rather than a local party. The fact that political leadership of the South-West was not part of it; and then we had already failed at that ab initio… so that was the reason for the collapse of that effort. But it still could have been managed by good leadership which unfortunately, as I have said, I don't think President Obasanjo provided at that time with a view to bringing everybody on board and having all parties work together with a view to eventually having a national mass movement.

I think that one of the major criticisms of the PDP has to do with internal democracy. People feel it has been a real disappointment, and has not set a good example - being the party that controls the largest number of positions in governments across the country. Would you accept that such criticisms are justified?

Well, in the sense that you can't sell what you don't have, and if you look at the report of the Reconciliation Committee which I headed and which was promoted by the late President Yar'Adua, we harped on this matter of internal democracy. Almost every section of it hammered on internal democracy, and I am happy that the new chairman when he took over also emphasised that point. We must have democracy at the party level before we can really promote it at the national level.

In the South-East PDP started with five states. Today, you are down to just three – and that is because someone crossed the carpet. Some have suggested that the party's decline is a personal failing on the part of its leaders like you from the South-East. Do you accept that responsibility?

I don't accept that responsibility at all! If a president with all his federal and state powers sets up upstarts in my state, people of no consequence, supports them and gives them the resources with which to destabilise a whole state – not just me – burning government property and cause a lot of havoc just to undermine what you think is my home base, I haven't got resources to fight a president. So the whole problem is contrived. The results you see about the PDP losing were in these states contrived results.

Just to take you back to the G34 episode for a minute. Did you receive any threats to your person on account of your leadership of this group and the memo that was sent to General Abacha?

Yes and no. I know that one of Abacha's friends – I won't mention his name – while making a speech at Awka in the East said I was a foolish man who was trying to fight a lion with bare hands, and that he was sorry for me because I would soon die. He said this publicly. I also got to know that there was an instruction that I should be kept under 24-hour surveillance. So that was a warning and a sign. Fortunately, I had friends even in his own organisation, so I was alerted and had to be very careful. So I cannot say that there was a direct threat to my person. I didn't have any gunshots or invasion of my house.

Virtually every governor that is available is decamping to PDP. Is it possible in this country to have a true multi-party system?

Yes, I think so. If you look at the historical antecedents… in 1959 before Independence we had three main parties – NPC, NCNC and Action Group. But five years after that in 1964 we had two broad formations – United Progressive Grand Alliance (UPGA) and Nigerian National Alliance (NNA). If the army had not interrupted that development we would have ended up with two parties. Similarly, in 1979 we had five political parties – NPN, NPP, UPN, PRP and GNPP. By 1983 NAP joined – making six parties. But, by and large, we had again two broad formations – NPN and PPA and, again, if the military had not interrupted that development we would have ended up with two parties by evolution – not by fiat the way the military did it.

When the two parties emerge by evolution, then it would last for a long time. Unfortunately, since 1999 the efforts to evolve two parties have not worked. But at the presidential election of 1999 there were three parties – PDP, ANPP and AD. AD and APP fielded one candidate – so there were two candidates contesting the presidential election. This would have led to the evolution of two main political blocs if AD and ANPP had consolidated that arrangement and extended it to state level instead of just presidential candidate level. By now we would have had two strong political parties.

But that didn't work out, and then to confound it all, Gani Fawehinmi and co, may his soul rest in peace, went to court and challenged INEC…they said it had no power to register political parties. So if a couple of people got together and formed an association, they must be registered. We started with three political parties and now we have 60 or more. That makes nonsense of the whole party structure. When you have that kind of proliferation, then the tendency is for the big fish to swallow the small fish. That is why you have this type of movement
Source: The Nation, 8^th August 2010.

Jonathan's Presidency Will Of God, Says Nyako

FROM BETTY ADERIBIGBE, ABUJA

THE Governor of Adamawa State, Murtala Nyako has said the circumstances leading to the emergence of Goodluck Jonathan as president is entirely the will of God while the constitution, which forms the basis of the formation of Nigeria provides, for all to contest elections.

Nyako stated this at the meeting of the first general assembly of a group known as Towards A Greater Nigeria Initiative (TAGIN) in Abuja yesterday.

TAGIN was formed by a group of Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora with the aim of reviving the spirit of Nigeria's founding fathers. It is a non-profit organisation with no affiliation to any political party.

The governor who made the disclosure through his representative and Chief of Staff, Bello Tukur said: "When the President became president, it didn't come through anybody's effort. Some people want to achieve their own aspirations so they are trying to ride on his back. But I am very sure that whether he becomes president or not, it's not a matter of life and death to him. If God wills it, he will continue to be president.

"Whether you talk about zoning or no zoning, this country was established on the basis of the constitution. The constitution provides for everybody to live, to aspire and do what he or she wants to do. It is rather unfortunate that people have overemphasised the issue of zoning because the constitution gives right to everyone."

On his part, the Deputy Speaker of the Adamawa House of Representatives, Usman Nafada who spoke through his Special Assistant, Mohammed Shehu said the will to move Nigeria to greater heights should transcend ethnic and religious sentiments. He opined that only sensitisation and enlightenment campaigns at the grassroots level on the need to support the president would help change the attitudes and sentiments of majority of the people.

"We need to create an avenue to take this campaign to the grassroots. I am from Kano State and I will not hide my identity anywhere.  There are no good roads, people live in abject poverty; there are no facilities for agriculture to flourish. But I need to educate and convince my people on the benefits they stand to gain in supporting Jonathan for president. I personally support him for president in 2011. We are ready to go to jail for it, we are ready to die for it. We must achieve this dream."
Source: The Guardian, 7^th August 2010.

Shinkafi: Nigeria Must Rise Above Zoning

By Imam Imam

Nigerians must rise above the zoning controversy or risk complicating the process leading to the 2011 general election, former presidential aspirant, Alhaji Umaru Shinkafi, has said.

He said the entire political landscape is now faced with time and logistical challenges ahead of the elections and as such the country should not dissipate energy debating zoning or no zoning.

In a statement made available to THISDAY yesterday, Shinkafi said the dire nature of the political situation now requires a realistic appraisal and a bold resolve to end the impasse, build consensus and move the country forward.

Shinkafi was running neck and neck with former Minister of Finance, Malam Adamu Ciroma, in the presidential primaries of the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC) in 1992 until the General Ibrahim Babangida military regime cancelled the primaries and disqualified the 23 presidential aspirants of both NRC and Social Democratic Party (SDP).

Later, Shinkafi emerged the running mate to Chief Olu Falae on the joint platform of the Alliance for Democracy/All Nigeria Peoples Party (AD/APP) during the 1999 presidential poll.

He said even though the intervention of zoning as a remedy to some past injustices, especially the June 12 debacle, cannot be overlooked, he added, however, that the political class has more or less engaged in unmistakable manipulation of the policy to suit the convenience of the moment rather than sustain its true essence for political leverage. 

He said despite the lofty ideas about zoning, it was introduced to not be the end in itself, but the means for attaining its lofty objectives.

"This review explains the evident collapse of the quasi-ethnic base on which the zoning arrangement was rationalized. Today, the presumed proponents of retaining the zoning principle in the North are deeply divided about its relevance or necessity," he added.

If the potentially constructive outcome of the demise of the zoning arrangement is to be realized and exploited for the common good of all Nigerians, Shinkafi said, it must be pursued with maturity and consensus, facilitated by dialogue, not fuelled by desperation.

"Even the case for merit and competence in deciding the terms for democratic competition for political office must be responsibly canvassed to acquire national spread and gain the acceptance of majority of Nigerians," he added.
Source: This Day, 5^th August 2010.

2011: Zoning, a threat to Nigeria's unity, progress,
US Group

By Wale Akinola

As the issue of zoning takes a centre stage in the nation's political debate, Nigerians have been advised to de-emphasize the idea of South and North dichotomy which has continued to cause disunity, militate against the progress and threaten the corporate existence of the country.

A United States of America-based Nigerian political pressure group, "The Nigerian Fourth Dimension 2007" gave the advice in a communiqué issued at the end of its crucial meeting in Boston during the week.

While reaffirming its strong belief in the resort to the dictates of the nation's constitution as a basis for political negotiations, it said the "country should be allowed to run on the basis of states which constitute the corporate entity of the nation with disregard to geographical zoning for the purpose of political offices."

According to the body, "Nigerians should also desist from making inflammatory and derogatory remarks based on North and South divide as these are capable of causing social-political upheavals in the country.

" We believe in the power of states and federation where states are integral units," the communiqué stated.

The communiqué which was signed by Pastor Kingsley Okundaye and Mr. Emmanuel Okunmwendia, chairman and publicity secretary respectively of the organization's interim caretaker committee, and made available to us over the week, asserted that "zoning was undemocratic as it denies qualified people the opportunity to aspire to political offices of their choices," adding that Nigerians should be allowed to choose their leaders in a free and fair election.

The organization supported the recent statement by elderstatesman and Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clark, that "if zoning was adopted by PDP in 2007 election, as some politicians want us to believe, presidential aspirants, such as Mr. Donald Duke, Dr. Peter Odili and Obong (Arch.) Victor Attah, all former governors of Cross River, Rivers and Akwa Ibom States respectively would not have been allowed to campaign for nomination on the platform of the People's Democratic Party."  On the situation in the Niger-Delta region, the organization expressed its continued support for and identification with "the cause of the hugely marginalized and deprived people of the region," saying that it will continue to denounce violence and support a peaceful resolution of the issue.

It commended the Federal Government on the implementation of the amnesty programme but advised that all bureaucratic bottlenecks should be removed to facilitate the re-integration and rehabilitation of those who laid down their arms for the purpose of peace and stability in the country.

It also called on the administration to ensure that the concerned oil companies pay adequate compensations to the affected people in the area where oil spillage recently occurred and help them with full rehabilitation, including the establishment of a fund that should be administered by the Federal Government.

The organization lamented decades of suffering occasioned by pollution of several areas of the Niger-Delta region by the activities of the oil companies and called on the Federal Government to tighten regulations of oil exploration and ensure that the companies put in place adequate plan to prevent and/or manage oil spillages.

The government, it advised, should initiate adequate development projects, such as schools, hospitals, good roads, clean water, in the poor areas of the Niger-Delta to alleviate the sufferings of the people.
Source: Vanguard, 3^rd August 2010.

Jonathan Urges Continued Prayers For Nigeria

FROM MADU ONUORAH, ABUJA

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan yesterday, at the Banquet Hall of Presidential Villa Abuja, called on religious leaders to continue to pray for the peace and progress of Nigeria.

President Jonathan, at a Prayer Breakfast Meeting, organised by the Aso (State) Chapel, acknowledged that the collective prayers offered by several men and women of God had kept the country, adding that more prayers are needed to make the country perform better.

The President, who noted that the way out of the several challenges facing the country was trust in God, enjoined religious organisations to pray to God to guide the nation's leaders.

Referring to the scriptures where the children of Israel experienced calamity as a result of their deviation from God, the President said it is a dangerous thing to turn away from God, pledging that he would continue to trust in God to direct him as he leads the country.

"No matter the wisdom, skills and ability I have, I cannot succeed except with God', he remarked.

The General Overseer of the Deeper Life Bible Church, Pastor William Kumuyi, in his exhortation titled, 'The Awesome Responsibility of Choosing our Future,' said everyone has been given the opportunity to choose his future, stressing that Nigeria has come to a critical moment in its history. He called on Nigerians to be involved in bringing about the change that will guarantee a glorious future for the country.

The Prayer Meeting was attended by eminent Church leaders across the country namely, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) National President, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, Prelate Methodist Church Nigeria, His Eminence, Dr. Ola Makinde, Catholic Arch Bishop of Abuja, Most Revd. John Onaiyekan, Aso Chapel Chaplain, Ven. Obioma Onwuzurumba, his predecessors, Reverends Yusuf Obaje and   William Okoye, as well as a host of other clergymen.
Source: The Guardian, 1^st August 2010.

Jonathan Urges Prayers for Nation's Peace, Progress

From Sufuyan Ojeifo in Abuja

President Goodluck  Jonathan has  called on religious leaders to continue to pray for the peace and progress of the nation.

Jonathan made the call at a Prayer Breakfast Meeting organised by the Aso Chapel in the State House, Abuja.

He said the collective prayers offered by several men and women of God had been the secret of national unity.

According to him,  more prayers are needed to make the country perform better.

He said that the way out of the several challenges facing the country was through trust in God.

He enjoined religious organisations to pray to God to guide our leaders and lead the nation.

Referring to the scriptures where the children of Israel experienced calamity as a result of their deviation from God, the President said it was  a dangerous thing to turn away from God.

He pledged that he would continue to trust in God to direct him as he leads the country.

According to him, "No matter the wisdom, skills and ability I have, I cannot succeed except with God.

General Overseer of the Deeper Life Bible Church, Pastor William Kumuyi, in his exhortation titled, 'The Awesome Responsibility of Choosing our Future,'said everyone had been given the opportunity to choose his future.

He stressed that Nigeria has come to a critical moment in her history.

Jonathan called on Nigerians to be involved in the process of bringing about the change that would  guarantee a glorious future of the country.

The Prayer Meeting was attended by eminent Church leaders across the country namely, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) National President, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, Prelate Methodist Church Nigeria, His Eminence, Dr. Ola Makinde,Catholic Arch Bishop of Abuja, Most Revd. John Onaiyekan,

Aso Chapel Chaplain, Ven. Obioma Onwuzurumba and his predecessors, Reverends Yusuf Obaje and  William Okoye, and  a host of other clergymen were in attendance.
Source: This Day, 1^st August 2010.

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Babangida's Time Has Passed, Says PDP National Vice Chairman

By Jide Babalola

As the zoning debate rages on, National Vice chairman (South-South) Chief Edet Nkpubre believes the North should compensate the South-South for previous supports and alliances. He speaks with Assistant Editor Jide Babalola

What is your reaction to the outcome of the recent resolution of northern governors in Kaduna?

The governors deserve to be praised for their political maturity and sensitivity to the direction of prevailing public opinion. It was a bold and commendable step for them, in the present circumstances, to emphasise the constitutional right of Mr. President to contest for the 2011 presidency. That affirmation as such is a further demonstration of mutual understanding between the north and the South-South can only cement the relationship further.

We in the South-South have always tended to give wholehearted and unreserved support for the emergence of national leaders from the north. So, if the South-South has the opportunity to lead now, they should be able to support.

It is like compensating for the past support we have been giving them all over the years. Since the amalgamation of Northern and Southern Protectorates of Nigeria, the South-South had always aligned with the north to strengthen the chances of winning power away from the East or the West. So, now, what we in the South-South are saying is that they should compensate us; they should reciprocate our past sacrifice, loyalty and positive disposition.

The civil war was a northern war and we supported them because they came through the South-South.

Why did you say that the civil war was a northern war?

The Western Region was not that interested in war; the East was trying to break away. It was in the interest of the north to keep Nigeria as one and the Head of State was a northerner. Therefore, it was a northern war. Moreover, they had to come through the South-South. They created a state to break the South-South away from the control of Igbos and they came in through there.

Dynamic potential leaders in the South-South made supreme sacrifice before victory was achieved in that war. People like Adaka Boro, a university graduate who died during the war, easily come to mind. In those days, for you, as an individual, to be a university graduate means your community or society is being liberated. Adaka left his university education to fight the civil war and then he was a strong soldier in the Nigerian Army to fight against the breakup of Nigeria. He was a South-South man, so the northerners should reciprocate such sacrifice, particularly with all the things on ground. The zoning arrangement, as I keep on saying, had been an ad hoc arrangement.

So you really support the views of your party chairman that the zoning principle is no longer tenable within the PDP as far as the 2011 presidential ticket is concerned?

I have always said it; it had been an ad hoc arrangement and our National Chairman has even stated it more clearly. In 1999, people from the north who paid for their nomination forms got refunds of their money; the party returned it to them. In 2003, all serious presidential aspirants paid for nomination forms – candidates from the north, South-South, east and west, they paid. The party collected the payments and no refunds or rejection of nomination forms was made.

So what is the cause of making a big argument out of zoning now? The zoning was only operational in 1999 when people outside the zone where the power was zoned to, were stopped from contesting.

If you insist that zoning of the presidential ticket has ceased to be a directive principle in PDP, don't you think that in future, such a position can lead to other problems?

Since 2003, has it led to any problem?But without zoning, will it be easy for people from other parts of the country, other than the north, to rule when the north claims superiority of numbers?

If we had allowed free and fair primaries, maybe Yar'Adua would not have defeated Odili. Odili did a good job; he was even accepted by the northerners. If they had gone for one man, one vote I am not sure Yar'Adua would have defeated Odili.

In 2007, there were candidates from the east, there were candidates from the South-South; it was only among the westerners that you will not see presidential candidates within PDP then. In addition, there were candidates from the north. Therefore, it was a free for all, within the rules. Nigeria has gone beyond this parochial zoning, tribal thing.

Now, one of the major challenges before PDP is how to take care of the interests of people like General Ibrahim Babangida, a former military leader who has so much clout. He has said that if he is unable to realise his presidential ambition within PDP, he will consider going elsewhere.

That is the beauty of democracy  He can go anywhere; if people vote for him in the general election and he beats the PDP candidate, so be it. Fortunately, the President and even, the new chairman of INEC, Professor Jega, both emphatically promised all Nigerians that they are going to organise a free and fair election. They have offered guarantee on that to everybody, including the international community. So, anybody who wants to contest should take that as a bonus and go and see if he can realise his ambition in any other parties. Nigerians will be waiting at the polls to express their preferences as to who should rule them.

Don't you have fears that the exit of top retired military generals like Babangida could deflate some aspects of PDP's strength across the country?

My brother, we have moved beyond that in Nigeria. There is no person who is indispensable in Nigeria today. He (IBB) was a tall, huge influential general. Just like yesterday, Yar'Adua came in, much-unknown politician. He weathered the storm and he moved this country in his own capacity. Today, Jonathan is in charge, everybody is praising him. The praise time of Babangida has gone. Leadership moves from generation to generation. Look at Britain, a man who is in his mid-forties is there ruling Great Britain. Look at Obama. And here, you are still talking about leaders of yesteryears; leaders who are on the way to clocking seventy something in a few years.

But people have expressed fears about potential implosion within PDP

If PDP members conduct themselves properly, I do not see any reason why the fear of implosion should be there. After all, they can dissipate power; use their energy to fight against other areas. There are other parties to be challenged or confronted with serious campaigns. It is a free democracy. Implosion is when you do not have any forces to fight and you keep on fighting only within your ranks; then you will destroy yourself in the process.

However, I am saying that we have external political forces against which to dissipate vibrant energy by working to defeat them democratically. It is not a matter of defeating people within. PDP would continue to exist with strength in this country for so many years and it will continue to rule. You see, the beauty is that PDP is always being upgraded; an upward process of evolution keeps unfolding for the party's renewal. At a time, we were blaming Ogbulafor, the public has reacted and Ogbulafor is gone. A new man has come in with his own policy, new ideas. If the new man is not good, other people will replace him and carry on where he stops. PDP is not static; PDP is progressive. That is the reason why we keep on having changes for bright new ideas to come in. Each one of us does his duty, knowing that those coming behind us also have a duty to work hard and go further.

Besides, the President has repeatedly assured that there would be internal democracy and nobody will dictate to him. The playground will be level for everybody so, why would there be an implosion?
Source: The Nation, 1^st August 2010.

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 2011: Must Play By the Rules, Says IBB

From Onwuka Nzeshi in Abuja

Former military ruler, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida yesterday charged the political elite, particularly his supporters across the country to abide by the rules of democracy as Nigeria inches closer to the   2011 general elections. He said it was imperative for political actors to keep to the rules of the game   to avoid bungling yet another chance of deepening democracy through credible elections and peaceful transition of power at all levels. The word of caution came as the former strongman of Aso Rock received  a special report on preparations for his campaign for the 2011 presidential elections.

The report presented to him in Abuja by the Babangida Campaign Group, indicated that thirty two (32) Campaign Offices have been opened across the federation preparatory to the forthcoming presidential elections. According to the  report,  the offices spread across the six geo-political zones of the federation were donated by committed supporters of the Babangida political agenda while efforts are on to establish more of these offices in places where none currently exists.

Babangida, who expressed delight at the report disclosed that given his vast experience and pedigree in democratic experiments nothing less was expected of a political platform associated with him.

Nigeria, he said, must strive as a nation to entrench a   decent political culture by playing by the rules   rather than embarking on acts capable of subverting the system.   "We also need to follow the activities and programmes of the government most especially those of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) closely since we are about entering into a new age where votes of every electorate will count, and when the government of the day has been taking conscious efforts to give Nigeria the most transparent elections in history.

"This is why I call on our supporters both in Nigeria and in the Diaspora to be conscious of what they do what they say and where to be and not to be at every necessary period as we prepare for the elections to come."

"If anyone is seen to be breaking the rules, let it not be seen that any of our supporter is involved. if pejorative political statements are to be made, let it not be known that such is coming from any of our supporters and if the idea of political rabble-rousing is going to be on the table, let it not be traced to anything IBB or his supporters.

However, I will not mind if we begin to hit the news as great facilitators of unassailable political ideas and ideologies meant to

shape the future of our country and held democracy to grow. I will be glad if the best thesis, theories and sermons on how to change the face of this country will be coming from our camp from now till the date of election," he said.
Source: This Day, 5^th August 2010.

I Won't Step Down For Anybody – IBB 

Written by Philip Nyam, Abuja

Says Meeting With Obasanjo Not About Jonathan, Zoning

Former military president General Ibrahim Badamasi has opened up on his presidential ambition, declaring that he would not renege on his resolve to be the next president of Nigeria, no matter the opposition before him. He has also denied that former President Olusegun Obasanjo pressured him to drop his presidential ambition.

Babangida said he was in the presidential race for real and has prepared for the presidential seat with  every seriousness, right vision and untainted mission  to save Nigeria.

He said it was time to pay back what he had gained from Nigeria, a reason he resolved to enter into the presidential race, noting that, at his age, he and others like him should be thinking of rebuilding Nigeria and setting it on a path of recovery for the youths of the country to take over.

IBB said the meeting between him and former President Obasanjo was not about Jonathan, neither was it on the zoning issue as reported by the media. They discussed issues of common interest, he said, as they had for long shared mutual respect for each other.

The former military president also said that the meeting between him and Obasanjo was not the reason he did not attend the rally planned for him at Ibadan as earlier reported.

He said the planned rally was meant to accomplish the opening of a campaign office for him at Ibadan, noting that he would formally visit Oyo State and Ibadan at the appropriate time.

Babangida spoke through his media aide Kaseem Afegbua

He also  denied that Obasanjo ever attempted to woo him for President Jonathan. The statement by Afegbua reads:   We have read a series of media reports in the dailies saying that former President Olusegun Obasanjo was wooing former President General Ibrahim Babangida for President Jonathan.

 To state the obvious, there is nothing near the truth in the report because the meeting between former presidents Chief Obasanjo and General Babangida had nothing to do with 2011, zoning of the presidency or support for the rumoured ambition of the president, Dr Goodluck Jonathan. The two former presidents have always exhibited mutual respect for each other irrespective of their different political leanings and ideologies.

To the best of our knowledge, the incumbent president has not told Nigerians that he was interested in the 2011 presidential race even though some of his political associates and friends have been on the streets drumming support for him. Till date, it is on record that only General Ibrahim Babangida, GCFR, has signified intention to run for the office of president under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

 The meeting between the two former presidents was not a political meeting as being reported. It was a social meeting which was not the first of its kind in recent times, as both of them enjoy mutual and positive relationship. It should be noted that General IBB as a former president has free access to the president, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, and does not require a middle man to interface between him and the president.

 General Babangida's belief in the zoning principle was borne out of his vast experience in the management of the country and understanding of the intricate logic and history of the Nigerian nation as a process that could easily help to stabilize the polity to provoke development and growth. He has consulted widely before he took the patriotic decision to give leadership to his teeming followers, supporters and associates by conceding to their request to run the 2011 presidential race. On that score, he will not disappoint his supporters.

 Again, it is worthy of note that General Babangida did not stay away from the office-commissioning ceremony at Ibadan as a result of his meeting with Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. He was not scheduled to attend in person because the event was meant to open the Ibadan office of his campaign by his teeming supporters.

 We had advised him to send a delegation because we wouldn't want a situation where it would become a routine for him to be visiting states to open offices. Once the timetable for political campaigns is released, he will visit every state of the federation in fulfillment of the requirements of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. As a bona fide and law-abiding citizen and elder statesman, he cannot be intimidated out of the race because he will conduct himself with the best practices and will subscribe to the rules and regulations of the game.
Source: Leadership, 1^st August 2010.

IBB: I Won't Drop Presidential Bid

By HENRY UMORU

Former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida, yesterday, said he is in the 2011 presidential race to make a statement, vowing he would not drop the ambition to return to power.

Babangida, while denying that he was under pressure from former President Olusegun Obasanjo to step down for President Goodluck Jonathan in the race, said his meeting, last week, with Obasanjo and the discussions centred round    issues of common interest and shared mutual respect for each other, not about zoning.

According to him, the meeting was also not the reason he stayed away from the rally planned for him in Ibadan,  adding that the rally was to open a campaign office for him in the Oyo State capital.

A statement signed by his media aide, Kaseem Afegbua, read:  "We have read series of media reports in the dailies saying that former President Olusegun Obasanjo was wooing former President General Ibrahim Babangida for President Jonathan.

"To state the obvious, there is nothing near the truth in the report because the meeting between Former Presidents Chief Obasanjo and General Babangida had nothing to do with 2011, zoning of the presidency or support for the rumored ambition of the President, Chief Goodluck Jonathan. The two former presidents have always exhibited mutual respect for each other irrespective of their different political leanings and ideologies.

"To the best of our knowledge, the incumbent President has not told Nigerians that he was interested in the 2011 Presidential race even though some of his political associates and friends have been on the streets drumming support for him. Till date, it is on record that only General Ibrahim Babangida, GCFR, has signified intention to run for the office of President under the platform of the Peoples' Democratic Party, PDP.

"The meeting between the two former Presidents was not a political meeting as being reported. It was a social meeting which was not the first of its kind in recent times, as both of them enjoy mutual and positive relationship. It should be noted that General IBB as a former President has free access to the President, Chief Goodluck Jonathan and does not require a middle man to interface between him and the President.

"General Babangida's belief in the zoning principle was borne out of his vast experience in the management of the country and understanding of the intricate logic and history of the Nigerian nation as a process that could easily help to stabilize the polity to provoke development and growth".
Source: Vanguard, 1^st August 2010.

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Buhari Warns

There may be no Nigeria in 2011

2011 is critical for the country. There may be no Nigeria...I'm scared about Somaliasation of Nigeria

By ERIC OSAGIE

 As political gladiators jostle for relevance amid the cacophony over which region should produce the next president in 2011, former Head of State, General Muhammadu Buhari, has sounded a note of warning to Nigerians and the political class: Get your acts together or there will be no country called Nigeria.

Buhari, a two-time presidential candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), and leader of the new party, Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), told Sunday Sun in a no-holds-barred interview that the country is tottering on the brink of collapse except something urgent is done to rescue it.

"How can we be so rich and paradoxically so poor? We are a rich nation, poor people. This worries me about our country. You look at the UNDP index. Nigerians are living on less than a dollar a day. This is a disgrace to the Nigerian leadership." On the forthcoming 2011 polls, Buhari says: " 2011 is critical for the country. There may be no Nigeria (if we don't get it right)."

For one hour, Buhari also spoke on his presidential ambition, generational power shift, the contentious zoning/power rotation debate, Jega and the new INEC, President Jonathan's alleged ambition, among sundry issues. Excerpts...

General, may we start by asking how has it been this third time around of your foray into the political minefield. You are opening offices of your new party, congress for progressive change, all over the country?

Well, I think people should realise that we are not absolutely new, technically speaking. Right from 2002, when I joined partisan politics, we came out with an organisation called The Buhari Organisation (TBO). TBO is virtually in all the states of the federation. It's just like what people do when you have somebody's vanguard, this movement etc. So, The Buhari Organisation tried to articulate my views, what my philosophies are, to promote my interest in politics and what I believe in in partisan politics.

But, unfortunately, there was some kind of conflict between it and the mainstream of the party. And the party said it should fuse into the mainstream, the ANPP (All Nigeria Peoples Party). When we came to 2003, 2007 elections, we had what we called the presidential campaign teams, from the national, states to the ward levels. ANPP, I must admit, came up with innovations.

If you are a state governor, for example, you are the chairman of the presidential campaign team, as well as your own campaign team. So, even if you don't do it for the presidential candidate, you do it for yourself. So, we said, all these associations and groups: TBO, Yerima Vanguard, Tofa Boys or whatever, they all merged into the presidential campaign team headed by the national chairman of the party. I think that was a very good innovation. If it was pursued vigorously, I think we should have registered better outing.

What you are doing now is to resurrect tbo, which has metamorphosed into cpc?

Exactly! What we did was we had to leave the ANPP. And these are our reasons; we have said it so many times. So, those who are still with us in ANPP and the other organisations, all we did was to change the face of the office and put the flag of the CPC.

In a sense, you are not really 'new' as in new. From what you have been saying, the cpc is about the ideals of Gen. Buhari?

Well, this is what we try to reflect!

What we can also understand is that cpc was set up primarily to champion your views and possibly fight for a progressive Nigeria?

Exactly! We found out that...I think I will mention here for the purpose of clarity. I joined ANPP in April 2002. By 2003, the party gave me its presidential ticket. As they say, the rest is history. But really what happened is that the international observer team, the local observer team, they have all seen, over 30,000 people were deployed by one mission alone. Not to talk of the local Nigerian NGOs and other observer teams. They all agreed that the election was not free and fair. For that reason, we went to court for 30 months. That was in 2003.

In 2006, the party again gave me its ticket. And you know what happened in 2007. The rigging in 2007 was worse than 2003. I said, as presidential candidate, I wasn't going to court, because I know what happened to me in 2003. But the party said I have to go court. You know how serious the rigging in 2007 was, but I said I wasn't going to court because I spent 30 months in 2003 and didn't get justice at the end of the day; I still lost. The party said I had to because I contested on its ticket, and technically, they were right. So, I went. They said we should raise two parallel legal teams, one for the party, the other for the presidential candidate. Of course, you know what happened.

When we were in court, they (the party) withdrew the case. But I refused to withdraw mine. Because constitutionally, I had a right to go to court as presidential candidate, whether the party agrees or not. So, I went to court and spent another 20 months. So, between 2003 and 2008, I was in court for 50 months.

So, when I went to address the press at Transcorp Hilton on December 12, 2008, I said I disagree with the judgment, if you could recall.

That the Supreme Court, as the name suggests, is the supreme authority constitutionally, but I disagree with its judgment. After I finished, the press asked several questions. But two questions were outstanding: With what I experienced in 2003 and 2007, wouldn't I throw in the towel? Give up and say, 'well, I have tried!' I said no, I will not stop. Then, they asked me, you are fighting ANPP, it withdrew the case in court, joined the government of national unity (GNU) and took the positions on offer.

They did not work with the party's constitutional structures, the National Working Committee, the caucus, comprising the governors, chairmen of the party, chairman of the board of trustees and especially, the national executive committee, which has the authority of the party. They did not take these organs into account in the three decisions the party took, that is, withdrawing from the case, joining the government of national unity and putting themselves the party leadership, instead of these party structures making the decision.

I said I will write my supporters, which I did in the first week of February 2009, and I gave them three positions to advice me on. Firstly, whether we should remain in ANPP; secondly, whether we should join any party other than the PDP; and thirdly, if we can go for a new party. They chose the third option after a survey was conducted in virtually all the states of the federation. So, we decided to come up with the CPC.

Looking at how gruesome it must be to start a new party almost from the scratch - you scout for new members, begin to popularise it and then, woo voters. This requires a lot of resources, moving round. How easy has it been?

It is extremely tough. Not that we don't know what we are doing. We knew it was going to be tough but it was our best option.

We heard you were discussing with the action congress at a point. We also heard you were discussing with this or that party, then no news again. Is it that you found their philosophies not agreeing with yours or you just want to be a lone ranger?

(Laughs) You cannot be a lone ranger in Nigerian politics, unless you don't want to succeed. But the important thing is that your philosophy must agree somehow with those you are going to get together with. For example, you know there is crisis in the PDP (Peoples Democratic Party) in the centre and virtually every state. There is such crisis in the ANPP where the elected governors just kick the party. So, we wanted to have a party that we can manage, a progressive party with clear ideology and principles.

I am asking why you backed out of your discussion with ac. You were talking with bola Tinubu at some point and you seem to agree ideologically. The party also say they are progressive like the cpc. What happened?

AC, maybe they have got their own problems, which we don't know! We have learnt to be cautious going by our experience. By going into the APP (All Peoples Party) then, I went and inherited all the problems. Subsequently, it became ANPP and virtually now non-existent. They started with nine governors, now virtually one. But they are supposed to have three: Kano, Yobe and Borno. But, technically, I think they have only one state, which is Kano. So, our supporters in TBO, ANPP and other parties, we thought we can realise our objectives through the CPC rather than joining another party, knocking doors and asking for a merger.

Where are you going to get the resources to prosecute elections in a heavily monetised polity like Nigeria?

You are talking of resources. Well, so many people have said, 'yes you say Buhari has no money, how did he become a presidential candidate twice?' But I keep on mentioning that I am the only presidential candidate that went round 34 states in 2003 and 33 states in 2007; a number of the states several times over. Those who have resources, how many states have they been to? What is the use of the resources if you cannot get to the people? Local government by local government, I talked to them. I did that, 2003 and 2007.

The bottom line is that we need free and fair election. All that we are doing will come to naught if there are no free and fair elections; and our experience as a nation agree with this. Even if we don't agree or believe in ourselves, what about the international community? Some of them had overseen elections in 49 countries before Nigeria. And they said they had never seen the kind of fraud perpetrated in Nigeria. Mrs. (Madeline) Albright said ours, in 2007, was her worst experience.

Some people have asked why don't you just quit running for presidency. In 2003, you came out parading your integrity, discipline and all that, you were rigged out. In 2007, the same thing happened. Why don't you just forget it? Why don't you give up on the presidency? What drives you in the Nigerian project?

I refuse to give up! I am not used to giving up as a soldier. And my objective is absolutely clear: It is about our people and our country. Look at the resources we have in this country, look at the human and material resources, look at the quality of people that we have, they have never been fully exploited. And I felt that if am in partisan politics, at least some people will listen to me. At least, this corrupt and undisciplined nation can be reformed somehow. So, we chose a clear objective of bringing this country back from the brink. This is what is driving me.

Some people seem to believe that it is a burning, personal ambition; that Buhari wants desperately to be president.

They ask: what is Buhari's vision? What is he bringing to the table? Do you agree with this position?

It is absolutely not true. I don't agree. Like I said, it's not about me. It's about our people and our country. When I read my declaration, I identified the problems of Nigeria: corruption, indiscipline, insecurity, Niger-Delta...We have to secure and manage this country. Secure in the sense that Nigerians all over must be able to have 24 hours a day if they like. Not everybody running home like chickens after last light and coming out after first light. No. Nigerians all over the country must be able to move and work 24 hours a day. Insecurity is the number one problem in this country. Number two is social justice. Social justice means those managing public funds must be seen to be competent and trust worthy.

This culture of throwing to the dogs all final instructions and lack of restraint on the part of those managing public institutions must be brought to a stop. They must be transparent and accountable. This is my burning ambition, which people are calling my personal ambition. Because, how can we be so rich and paradoxically so poor? We are a rich nation, poor people.

This worries me about our country. You look at the UNDP index of living. Nigerians are living on less than a dollar a day. This is a disgrace to the Nigerian leadership because they know what we are earning. At least they know the foreign exchange we are earning. Yet, we remain miserably poor.

Is the problem then the leadership or followership? Nigerians only grumble in their bedrooms and do nothing about this ravaging poverty you talk about

Both. The followership should be able to rebel at a certain level. How can they tolerate people stealing their resources and keep quiet? They refuse to give them education, they refuse to give them security, they refuse to give them water to drink, they refuse to give them infrastructure that enables them to work and earn a living themselves. Why do they tolerate this kind of leaders? In every constituency, they know them. Why do they allow them to steal them dry? What I am saying is that we have a docile followership.

You were head of state for 20 months. What this means is that you were also part of the leadership failure of our 50 years as a nation or are you going to isolate your administration?

I cannot dissociate myself from it. But when I had the opportunity to lead this country...You try and follow my antecedents as a governor, as minister of petroleum, as head of state, as chairman of PTF (Petroleum Trust Fund); have I tried as an individual wherever I have managed to be accountable and transparent? I believe you can get the answer from your archives.

Buhari is generally perceived as upright, disciplined and focused. Yet, why won't people who believe this give you the votes? Is it that Nigerians don't trust you enough to be president?

If you are telling me about people of this nation, then you are wrong. I told you earlier that the bottom line of our problems is free and fair election. People did not refuse to give me the votes. My votes didn't count. I will give you an example, which I believe you know more than I do. Anambra elections, four years ago, when the Supreme Court ruled that (Peter) Obi was the governor, INEC, the constitutional body that runs election, had four years notice to run an election in Anambra. And we know that Anambra had 148,000 registered voters, but less than one-third of the votes counted. So, INEC couldn't get it right in one state even when it had four years notice. You can see that you cannot be talking about credible polls when votes don't count. How can you then say Nigerians didn't vote for me?

Do you now have faith in the new inec under Prof Attahiru Jega?

I am developing some kind of confidence by the kind of actions (of Jega).

Why not total confidence?

Total confidence until and unless INEC gets what the Uwais Committee recommended. We need a credible voters' register. Every Nigerian of voting age knows we cannot call what we have a credible voters' register. All this nonsense that Michael Jackson and Mike Tyson were seen in Anambra voters' register, this kind of scandalous nonsense shouldn't happen again. So, we need an absolute, up-to-date credible voters' register. Of course, it is possible. If the guy is given the resources he has asked for and the cooperation, the man is capable of doing it.

Do you know Jega personally?

Yes, person to person, but not closely. He got support across the country, from the press. People seem prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Do you believe that president Goodluck Jonathan, being a likely candidate in the 2011 polls, will give Nigerians a credible election since incumbents are hardly defeated in a country like ours?

Well, all I can say for now is that I am encouraged by what he said when he met with President Obama, when he gave an interview to the CNN. He promised Obama free and fair elections, which Americans are extremely concerned about. Secondly, security of the nation. All these cases of kidnapping, assassination and so on; thirdly, unemployment, and fourthly, I think power. I think these are the promises he made to the United States.

When he came back, to be fair with President Jonathan, as far as I am concerned, he has been playing the roles he promised. I saw in the papers again where he said he didn't know Jega from Adam. But people recommended him and he approved it. He did not insist on his friend or somebody else. That means he has got this quality of fair-mindedness.

So, you are willing to also give the president the benefit of the doubt?

I am very willing. And when they started talking about this N72billion for INEC, for (voters) registration and so on, he approved it. So, to be fair, he has to be given benefit of the doubt.

The other leg of the question is, since presidents in Africa, including Nigeria, don't ever want to lose election where they are candidates and umpires, should Jonathan run in 2011?

I think it would only appear that Nigerians haven't suffered enough if they don't stand against social injustice. I have the inkling that Nigerians are now getting ready for 2011 electioneering.

2011 is pregnant, only God knows what it will bear. But Nigerians know they are suffering, that if they insist on the government they have chosen, then they can have it. I gave example of Kano in 2003, Bauchi and Lagos in 2007. The electorate insisted on the government they wanted and they got it. So, if the elite of the rest of the country can say go and organise your constituencies and deliver them democratically, it is possible, it can be done. And then if we have a government we chose, we will be prepared to support it. That is the only way we can make progress.

Let's go to zoning. Where do you stand, for or against?

What I have said since the argument started is that whatever form or agreement a political party takes is its own business. It is for the electorate to have the final decision on who it wants to vote for.

Do you believe power should go to the north in 2011?

That is PDP arrangement. It is a PDP affair. What I believe is free and fair elections. Let us have free and fair elections. As long as you are a Nigerian, if you win, you win, if you lose, you lose. But the elections should be free and fair.

Proponents of zoning say we need zoning or power rotation in a heterogenous society like ours. That it will promote unity in diversity. Some of the governors, elders and party stalwarts insist it is north or nothing. Are there times as a northerner you harbour this sentiment?

Look, I don't know why you insist on me rationalising or accepting a PDP agenda.

I just want to know your views?

Well, I have told you that the bottom line of our problems is free and fair elections. In my submission earlier, I gave the example of Kano, Bauchi and Lagos, and said if the elite can go out and mobilise the people and deliver their constituencies; educate them and allow them to vote whichever party and whichever candidate, you will be amazed how stable Nigeria will be. But when you start thinking of north/south dichotomy; Christian/ Muslim; Christian/pagan, you have problems. Look at (late MKO) Abiola's election. Abiola was a Muslim, his running mate was a Muslim. He chose a Muslim/Muslim ticket and nobody raised their fingers against it. So, what we need are good Nigerians whoever and wherever they are.

So, how did we get to this tragic level of zoning, power rotation, balancing etc?

I will ask you; you are the press men. You should tell me.

You should tell me because in 2003 and 2007, you balanced your ticket. You had Christian running mates from South West and South East respectively. Why didn't you follow the Abiola example?

It's the party. If my party made the terrible mistake, we will suffer the consequences! In 2007, the party asked me to run with Ume-Ezeoke. It was not my decision. And since I wanted the party's ticket, I had to abide by their decision.

Nigeria is 50 and we are still bogged down by sentiments of zoning and rotation. Are we ever going to get to a time when a candidate will be judged by what he has to offer rather than where he comes from, his religion and other base considerations?

That is why, I think, for the last 18 months, in a few of my interviews, speeches, comments, I have always hit hard on the Nigerian elite. Not only political elite, but elite across the spectrum. Let them go either physically, morally and, perhaps, materially and deliver their constituencies. It's really important. It's now people are getting aware of this. But it is getting too late, because as you said earlier, next year (2011) is critical for the country.

Do you fear for the country, that if we don't get it right now…

(Cuts in) There may be no Nigeria. I do, because I draw parallel with Somalia so many times. Somalia-sation of Nigeria; I am scared about that. Somalia, they are one ethnic group, one religion, Islam, but for 18 years Somalia has not been a country because the elite became so selfish, so corrupt, so undisciplined, and they have wrecked the country. And Nigeria is much better off.

So, I am passing a message to the Nigerian elite: Let them go and deliver their constituencies. Even Nigerians in Diaspora, Nigerians in Europe, the groups that are supporting us, I discussed with them. Let them connect with their constituencies at home through whichever way. And let them educate their people, persuade them to chose good people from whichever party to represent their constituencies. This is the way we can move Nigeria forward together. We all stand to benefit.

The South South and the north are currently locked in battle over 2011 presidency. While the former says it's South South presidency or no Nigeria, the latter (north) are insisting that the unity of Nigeria will be threatened if power doesn't go to the region. What's your take on this volatile issue?

I have read these statements too. I don't think there is absolute agreement among the people of these two zones. You can say some vocal people in the South South said if Jonathan is not given the presidency there will be no Nigeria. So, you can say they are holding Nigeria hostage. They will receive the shock of their lives if they think they can hold Nigeria hostage.

You also quoted the North saying power must come there or Nigeria's unity is threatened. That position is not true. The northern governors if they represent the northern opinion, no matter how they got there, about 50 per cent agree (with zoning) and 50 per cent do not. The breakdown is there in the papers. You see, both the so-called northern governors and the South South governors are wrong.

So, on the average, what comes out is that Nigerians want free and fair election. Let the parties that can afford to field a candidate go and look for votes and let their votes count, not like the Anambra election. Thank goodness, the INEC leadership has been changed. You see, 2011, seems to be our last chance. We have to get our acts together, especially the elite to make sure the election is credible and acceptable. This is the bottom line.

The world over the emphasis is on generational power shift. You also must have been in your forties when you became head of state. In Britain today, you have a 43-year-old man as prime minister, his deputy is less than 40; President Obama of America is less than 50. Some Nigerians say Buhari is a good man, but he has had his chance no matter how brief. Can't he play elderstatesman and advisory roles to the younger leaders? Must Buhari be president?

But our system accommodates what we are doing. You cannot vote until you are 18, and if you live up to 100, nobody says you cannot vote. So, you can vote and be voted for as long as you are above 18. Now, if our Constitution gives us that right, why should I deny myself, why should I disenfranchise myself? It is for Nigerians to mobilise against old people. If they don't want 'old people' like me, then the youths will say we will vote one of us. So, a party can present a 35-year-old PhD holder, may be in sociology, ok. Others can present other candidates, ok too. That is why votes should count. What I am saying is that it is not for us to disenfranchise ourselves when the Constitution doesn't say so... Let them (the youths) mobilise against Buhari, Babangida and whoever is 60 and above, for people who are 59 and below. But it is our right to vote and be voted for.

Do you as a person support generational power shift?

I will support whatever the Nigerian voters do, once there is free and fair election.

But you agree that all those period you were governor, goc, minister and head of state, you were young and vibrant. You had a lot of ideas, you were quite young...

Under the military regime, yes, I was quite young. But they are different systems.

What would be wrong if you give way to younger persons?

It wouldn't be wrong, but my problem is I don't want...You see, I have always talked about the elite going to deliver their constituencies. I don't want my opinion, even if it is for myself or against myself, to dominate seemingly the rest of the constituencies. Let people make enough commitment in their constituencies and cause change. This is the most enduring thing. Everybody is talking about Obama. I watched the scene when Obama was being sworn in. The amount of tears dripping from the eyes of Jesse Jackson reached up to his mouth, because he was overwhelmed. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Obama didn't become president because it was his birthright. After his qualification, he went straight to the grassroots, he went back to his constituency; he cultivated his constituency and groomed himself up from there. You don't start talking from top to bottom. It should be from bottom up. That's how Obama made it. And when Obama was mobilising his campaign resources, he didn't go to the multinationals or the lobbyists. Again, he went to the ordinary people: 50, 100, 500 dollars...So, Obama owes nobody anything except the people, except the Americans, not the multinationals.

The preponderant view, especially down south, is that Buhari is a religious fundamentalist. I am sure you have heard that

Of course, I have.

How did you get that religious fundamentalist stigma?

They know they are lying; they know they are! They know they are a fraud. I wrote to most of the Bishops during my campaigns in 2003 and 2007. I visited the Bishops. I told you I visited 34 states in 2003 and 33 states in 2007, during the campaigns. Nigerians know the truth, that I am not what they are saying. You see, some Nigerians think they are being smart.

When they see they have nothing against me about integrity, competence in office or my ability to lead whichever department or state or ministry I have had the opportunity to lead, they say something must stick against Buhari, so that we can drag him down on behalf of our party or candidate. It is the state of our political development, which we cannot absolutely escape, and I assure you that I am facing all that with a lot of courage, because I have written to a lot of church leaders. I visited them, I talked to them and it is up to them to play their role as they see it.
Source: Daily Sun, 8^th August 2010.

Zoning Outdated, Free, Fair Election is it – Gen. Buhari

By Emeka Mamah

Kaduna— Former Head of State and presidential aspirant of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in the scheduled 2011 general election, Major-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, said Nigerians should not dissipate energy discussing presidential zoning even as he described it as outdated.

According to him, "in my view, the right way to prosperity is for this country to get credible leadership; leadership that will provide good governance, transparency and accountability in the handling of the public affairs; leadership that will rule with the fear of God and be fair and just to all."

He also hinged the nation's prosperity to the conduct of free and fair elections which he explained will bring about credible leadership.

Buhari spoke yesterday in Kaduna at the launch of a book, The Sixteen Sins of General Muhammadu Buhari, written by a former Minister of Petroleum, Prof. Tam David-West.

"This country has suffered so much from the art and science of deceit, corruption, evils of sectional, ethnic and religious sentiments.

"Let us for once address issues on how to repair our decayed infrastructure, provide energy, good education, healthcare, security and generate employment.

"I, therefore, challenge the people especially the media, organised labour, the academia and the civil society to evaluate us, the politicians, on these rather than engage the nation on unnecessary and selfish distractions.

"The Nigeria of this era should be made of a community that tasks its leaders on their past performance and how they will improve upon that.

"I think it is out of date to bore the people of where one comes from, the language he speaks or his mode of worship.

"We should ask: can we trust him? Can he put our country right? This is what Nigeria requires today: Leaders of character, achievement and accomplishment.

"In the end, getting credible leadership and the conduct of free and fair election is not the responsibility of anybody but that of Nigerians.

"If Nigerians choose to remain where they are or even want to go backwards, it is their choice; if they choose to make the country better, it is also their choice."

Prof. Tam David-West, in his remarks, asked Nigerians to give Buhari another chance to rule Nigeria saying, "Buhari performed a feat that no country has ever achieved as no one country has been selected to be given increase in oil quota.

"Nigeria made over $20 billion. Yet, here is a man that Nigeria is suppressing. His enemies are vocal, but he is not vocal, he is a very humble man. He will not challenge them.

"So, I have to stand up for Buhari. I have to shout from the Niger Delta creeks to the Sahara, that here is a good man that Nigeria is suppressing. Please God, let him lead us."
Source: Vanguard, 30^th July 2010.

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Corrupt Leaders Deserve Minimum of Life Sentence, Says Prof Oyebode

By Abdulwahab Abdulah

Prof. Akin Oyebode of the University of Lagos is a Professor of international relations and jurisprudence.

In this interview, he argued that we must get our electoral process right before we can make headway as a country. To this end, he suggested that we must fight corruption to a stand still and ensure only good political leaders, emerge at the end of the day.

Excerpts:

What is your view on the call for the adoption of the report of Justice Mohammed Uwais led  electoral reform committee, especially with the promise by President Goodluck Jonathan to ensure free and fair election?

President Goodluck Jonathan had made some statement in France to the effect that he did not really care about who become the next president but he was sworn to ensure that the vote of the people counts and all the riggers and ballot box snatchers are going to meet their waterloo and go to jail.

This is the first time we are having someone saying this because all this statement of violation of electoral act has not been visited upon with sanctions.

The Mohammed Uwais electoral reform committee's  recommendation in terms of the appointment of the INEC chairman via public advertisement, short listing by the National Judicial Council (NJC), name forwarded to the president and senate to finally approve would have given a veneer of transparency and non partisanship.

If they have carried out the recommendation, it would have given the people a hope but that has not been done.

I hope that Jonathan is going to play the statesman like he promised because he had said similar thing in United State and gave the impression that he was a born again democrat.

I think Nigerians are maturing politically and getting wiser and even though we are in the thick of it all, we can't perceive the maturation process that is going on within the polity. I think we are slowly but surely getting more sophisticated in terms of the questions we ask and the assessment we make.

Nigerians are now taking very good advantage of the democratic process; they are going to court, making speeches and demonstrating. Look at the Save Nigeria Group (SNG) and the role they played during the time of the cabal and the charade of hoisting up somebody that was definitely incapable as returnee president. If not for the SNG which emboldened other groups like actors and others who never thought they would go on  demonstration, that is a symptomatic of what I call the law of turning quantity into quality because many more people are getting aware and are sticking out their neck to save this country.

I can perceive the changes that are going on within the polity which many people might not be aware of. That is why people pin their hope on 2011 that if the political class does not get it right, that might be the end of Nigeria as we know it.

There is a lot of belief that the politicians will learn their lesson and make sure that they do the right thing.

The Uwais report gives a lot of cheers and hope that Nigeria can get it right if the political will is there and if Jonathan can see the whole thing through then Nigeria can have a reprieve.

What do you have to say about amending  the Nigerian Constitution or reviewing part of the document?

Many of us believe that the entire constitution has to be jettisoned because it tells a lie against itself; we were never consulted by Abdusalami Abubakar who foisted the constitution on us. The Nigerian constitution is an illegitimate instrument and it is supposed to be a product of the popular will of the people.

In other word, there must be a constituent assembly convened to elaborate a blueprint that will form the basis of our interpersonal and group relations and such a blueprint will now be subjected to a referendum by the generality of Nigerians and if the draft reached the 61 percent mark then it becomes legitimate. Nigerians are supposed to do the amendment or review, it is not the job of the legislature. A legislature is to make a day to day laws for the peace, order and good governance of Nigeria not to write the constitution.

Of course every constitution has an amending formula and the process here is having to go through the National Assembly, but when you are amending 54 per cent of the constitution, that is worse. Why don't you throw such a document away and get a new one.

The American constitution which was adopted in 1787 had endured only 27 amendments with the 28th amendment still hanging and it's been over 223 years. The document had been so resilient to have suffered amendment for less than 30 times, but in Nigeria within 10 years from 118 amendments we are thinking of 54 amendments again. To them, that may be progress. To me, it is still telling me that the constitution is lopsided and not a true federal document.

Nigeria's federalism is a unique type of federalism where everything has to be decided from Abuja, including salaries of judges, including VAT, registration and all sorts of things, so that is not the type of constitution that heterogeneous people should have. The 406 ethnic nationalities that comprise Nigeria must freely choose their representatives to go to that big family meeting called the constituent assembly to hammer out the modalities of the constitution and what they hammer out should not be a finish business but have to be subjected to the popular votes of the people and if 51 per cent says yes, then it becomes a legitimate document that is how it is done in more civilized society.

How do you see current debates on zoning and the 2011 elections?

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is an amalgam of power mongers. So, the zoning formula they developed was a bond of expediency. But the only thing permanent in life as we all know is change so the formula which they elaborated a few years ago might not be applicable again today because of the scenario that we now have before us. Some people are already talking of God's zoning that God has zoned the presidency to Goodluck Jonathan because of the exit of Umaru Yar'Adua.

This is a new situation and if the party wants to be relevant, it must come to terms with the changes that had occurred within the scenario. Of course, there are some die-hard old war horses that believed that the presidency of Nigeria has been zoned to the north but in the present circumstances, that might be cost prohibitive if you want to carry the south especially the South-South along.

Jonathan happens to come from the Niger-Delta and for the first time in the history of Nigeria, we are having somebody from that part of the country at the helm of affairs and so far so good, he has managed to keep the ship of state of Nigeria on an even scale and because of that some people might say "better the devil you know than the angel you are yet to meet".

On account of that I think the PDP is between a rock and a hard place as some people within the party might want to hold tenaciously to the old arrangement and there is a dissenting group who want the reform within the party and were in fact suspended but again readmitted. A lot of water is passing under the bridge and the PDP must readjust to the changing scenario.

I dare say that if the PDP is not careful, it might lose the presidency because if the oppositions can get their act together and throw up a political platform that includes probably people like  Pat Utomi and Abubakar Umar and host of others, that platform will be difficult to beat in the present day Nigeria.

Nigerians are yearning for change and it does not seem that the PDP is the party that could engineer that change. Things can't continue the way it has been carried on, in the past couple of years. People now want a different approach to politics that would give event an utilitarian objective; policies that would increase the good and the happiness of the greatest majority of the people, not just catering for the interest of selected few. In that situation I foresee the possibility of a radical transformation of the situation within the next dispensation so the PDP must be careful not to lose out.

Nigeria Democracy would have come of age if and when the sitting government is voted out as it has happened in Ghana twice, that is why Ghana is the toast of the west. Right now people who have a do or die approach to politics who will continue to snatch ballot boxes, who will shoot gun in the air and perpetrate all kinds of shenanigans, create a very difficult image for Nigeria because you cannot have democracy without democrats and that is why for me, I think the political class must go back to the drawing board to give Nigeria some hope in this particular experiment.

Some people have advocated the highest penalty for corrupt office holders, do you subscribe to this ?

A drastic disease warrant drastic therapy. Corruption has destroyed our moral and values so much that the image of the ugly Nigeria is what theJuly 21, 2010 world knows. Nigerians are considered as synonymous with corruption.

There was a time we held the world record for the most corrupt nation under the Transparency International, but they said we have made some progress and are now 17 in the world. Even at that, it is not still good enough. I am in support of increasing the stake for those who want to give Nigeria a bad name. Look at Ghana, Rawlings cut off a few heads and it put the fear of God in many, now Ghana is a destination of interest and number one destination for foreign investments.

In Nigeria, we have a situation where armed robbers are using their guns to do what others are using their pen to do. Tell me why people will see others living ostentatious lifestyle while they are condemned to go to bed hungry.

Unfortunately, those that made the law themselves are wielded with corruption. There is corruption everywhere but you can't use just one prescription to treat all manner of corruption, we need to treat them separately. Some might warrant just tablet, others might warrant just mentholatum, and others injection. This must serve as a deterrent, though we know that it is not the severity of the sanction that brought deterrent.

At least corrupt persons deserve a minimum of a life sentence, let them be thrown in the cell and throw away the key so that people will know that corruption is bad. Look at the case of Bode George, it put some fear in the mind of the people, nobody knows that some people are not sacred cows.

If we can convince the world that we do not have sacred cows, then the fight against corruption will have attained some progress, but not this slapping people on the wrist like sending people to six months imprisonment when he had appropriated N18 billion, while someone who steal yams bags 10 years jail term. That is not fair, similar cases should be treated similarly.

There is a United Nation, UN convention against corruption to which Nigeria is a signatory and to that extent, it is duty bound to apply the international law. Corruption is illegal under the international law.

It is a multi-dimensional thing, there is a convention against corruption in Europe and America also that is why you see corrupt people being tried and put to jail there. The war against corruption is a global war and Nigeria cannot be an exception.

The controversy surrounding the award of the Senior Advocate is yet to subside. What do you have to say about the call for the abrogation of the rank?

We borrowed that rank from the British where they have the Queen's Counsel (QC) when Nigeria legal system felt the need to create the equivalent of QC and came out with the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). It was good when it was started as it is the highest title that legal practitioners could attain. It is most celebrated and have certain advantages, they wear silk gown, sit in the front row in court and have their cases heard first.

But somewhere down the line, the status of SAN has become compromised like most things in Nigeria. You know Nigeria has a negative Midas Touch.

SAN has become like a family inheritance and the younger people are not very happy with it. You now need a godfather to be a SAN and many of the people being given the title did not command the respect of their peers.

Look at somebody like Gani, it became almost too late before they decided to honour him with the title, look at Femi Falana, how can you mention 10 names in the legal profession today and omit Femi Falana? Then that list is not complete. And the people are watching.

I can say that at least 30 of my students are SAN and most of them are accomplished people, I am proud of them. I see my success as the success of my students. SAN is like a fellowship in other professions, like the fellows of Chartered Accountant of Nigeria, Engineers, professorship and others. I would not say it should be abolished but it should be reformed in the way and manner that the selection is done.
Source: Vanguard, 30^th July 2010.

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'It's been 50 years of suffering'

Clarice Azututalam

PRESIDENT and Director-General, National Movement for Jonathan President (NMJP), Dr Innocent Ekwu has said the country has suffered in the last 50 years of independence.

Speaking in Port Harcourt during a one-day summit for South-South and South-East Joint States Executive Session and Training, Ekwu charged his members to mobilise 15 million people before September 30, 2011 in support of the Goodluck Jonathan presidency.

 He said that 1.5 million people had already registered for the project as at July and added that each state in the region  is expected to mobilise 500,000 advocates while Lagos, because of its cosmopolitan nature, is to mobilise one million people.

The whole of Northern states, he said, would mobilise six million people, pointing out that the essence is to ensure that a good government is installed to better the lots of Nigerians.

He added that after installing Jonathan in office through their votes, his group which is also known as National Advocates for Good Governance will still continue to function to ensure that Nigerians enjoy effective democracy dividends.

Ekwu, who stated that his group is self-sponsored, further urged the members to "see yourselves as servants to Nigerian nation and because we are servants to good governance, if we slip, Nigeria will not be the same again."
Source: The Nation, 5^th August 2010.

The Bane Of Uncompleted Decolonisation

By Alfred Ilenre

More than anytime in its 50 years of independence, Nigeria is today desperately in search of a common character. The ailment of President Umaru YarAdua and all the intrigues surrounding how the Vice President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan took over as acting President has further exposed the illusion of Nigeria being a united and indivisible country. That Nigeria is a multi-ethnic country with multi-dimensional interests and world outlook is not debatable. When Britain arrived in the territory now called Nigeria it met separate tribes, cultural groups and communities who had established their local authorities, spanning over centuries.

In recognition by the British colonialists of the fact that they were bringing enemy tribes together into one union they shrewdly opted for indirect rule in Northern Nigeria while they went for direct colonial governance in Southern Nigeria. The British creation of Nigeria has been a malformation that came about by the force of conquest and domination.

A former colonial Governor-General of Nigeria, Sir Hugh Clifford after the amalgamation of the north and south in 1914, has this to say, "Nigeria is a mere collection of self-contained and mutually independent native states, separated from one another by great distances, by differences of history and traditions and by ethnological, racial, tribal, political, social and religious barriers". In his book, Tropical Africa in World History, T.R Batten had this to say, "The greatest difficulties when independence was on the point of being gained were caused by differences in aim and outlook between African leaders themselves. In Nigeria, these difficulties were so great that they were resolved only by dividing the country into three regions, each with its own separate government and each responsible for most of its own affairs".

The pioneer Premier of Northern Nigeria, Ahmadu Bello, said, "As for me, I would have preferred the north leave the other parts of the country but stayed only because of the importance of the southern coastline in international trade and the fact that it might be difficult to control the rail system as I would have liked to". Dr. Nnamdi Azikwe, first indigenous Governor- General, said, "I support the views of Justice Salmon Portland Chase, that most nations grow out of common origin, mutual sympathies, kindred principles, similar interest and geo-political relations. Of these factors only geo-political relations apply to Nigeria".

Chief Obafemi Awolowo stated: "At the conclusion of the constitutional conference in London in 1958, I had an overpowering foreboding. His Majesty's government had refused to create new states in Nigeria or at least break the north into two before the advent of independence on 1st October, 1960 and I felt quite strongly that Nigeria had been sentenced to a long period of doom. I could not shake off the feeling for quite a time; and I thought it wise to confide in my Deputy, Chief Akintola which I did. I confided in a few other colleagues. The foreboding that I had was that something untoward was going to happen to Nigeria. Whether the event or events would involve only the AG or other parties, only myself or other persons, I did not know, that it would happen, I felt sure but when it would happen I had no inkling".

Said Rotimi Williams: "We opposed the idea, when Alhaji Ahmadu Bello proposed a custom union for Nigeria. Perhaps if we had agreed with him, Nigeria would have today been a better place for all its citizens". Chief Anthony Enahoro said: "if we desire to create a viable federal structure and warm relationships among our nationalities, we have to design a formula under which we can live equitably together and the formula must provide for the recognition of the existence and corporate integrity of the nationalities. The only thing keeping Nigeria together at present is force".

The opinion freely expressed all over the world is that Nigeria has ceased to be a workable country. It has slumped from the status of a developing country to the level of an under-developed country with its human development index ranking among the nine poorest countries in the world.

Said Professor Wole Soyinka: "if nothing happens, I can not guarantee what recourse the people will take. The level of anger has peaked. I don't rule out Nigeria breaking up. That is what happens to a failed state". Said Alhaji M.D Yusuf: "the problem if not solved will keep staring our faces. You see, the present constitution may lead us to very serious problem if nothing is done about it. The constitution used at independence was a federal constitution unlike the one we have right now which some soldiers under six months sat down with some people to write. This federalism has been mortgaged". Admiral Nduibuisi Kanu stated: "Nigeria has for far too long been proceeding heedlessly on the wrong road, the road antithetically opposed to nation building. The only road upon which Nigeria at independence could have embarked on the journey of nationhood was as a federation. We have to go back to that road, any other road leads to nowhere".

"We have been lying to ourselves that we are one indivisible nation. Can a Fulani man claim the same brotherhood with the Birom. Can an Ijaw man call an Itsekiri man his brother". Casmir Igbokwe, Punch, March 14, 2010.

"There is no need for a national conference because those who benefit from the rot that exists will not allow it. Each constituent part of what is Nigeria must first and foremost declare its independence from the failed state of Nigeria. Then those who are interested in forming a new modern state around the area around the rivers Niger and Benue can then go ahead and form such a state with due consideration for rules, regulations and proper procedures. Everything else is simply postponement of the inevitable"- Kole Omotosho, The News Magazine, January 14, 2010.

Throughout the 30 years of debate, advocacy and lobby for the adoption of the Draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples at the floor of the UN in Geneva and New York, it became apparent that what is common to the whole world is diversity and not unity made possible by conquest or assimilation. Nigeria is trapped in the web of the malady of an uncompleted decolonization process. The absence of a cultural base has created an atmosphere for interlopers and rustics in politics to manipulate the political space to their advantage. The circumstance under which Dr. Jonathan came to power as acting President is a huge turning point in Nigeria's history. It has both physical and spiritual significance, coming in the year Nigeria is celebrating 50 years of the attainment of independence.

It is no longer the question of who rules Nigeria. The fact remains that the basic federal institutions and principles on which independence struggle was fought and won have been distorted, diluted, aborted and abandoned. Everywhere, there is public anger that leaders who lacked knowledge and information have decided to impose on the country, a future without hope. The omen is ominous. The warning signals from all over the world are quite clear that Nigeria should discontinue with the military imposed unitary constitution that breeds corruption, violence, stress and tension and embark on a process of total political reform that will return Nigeria to the era of economic development, freedom, true federalism and genuine democracy. Any option promises nothing except a harvest of unprovoked poverty and upheavals.

Ilenre is Secretary-General, Ethnic Minority and Indigenous Rights Organization of Africa (EMIROAF).
Source: The Guardian, 11^th April 2010.

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