2011: Northern youths, Southern Kaduna want zoning discarded

As the debate over zoning continues, Northern youths under the auspices of Arewa Youth Forum have insisted that the best be allowed to emerge as president based on competence and not where the person came from. This was contained in a statement which was signed by the President of the Forum, Gambo Ibrahim Gujungu.According to him, as a nation with over 150 million inhabitants, the future of the nation should not be mortgaged by a few men and women who would continue to toy and play political chess game with the ‘nonnegotiable’ sovereign rights of all Nigerians, irrespective of class, religion, ethnicity, region and many other sentiments. He noted that “going by their outbursts, it shows clearly that if Nigerians allow a president to emerge on the basis of zoning or arrangement, he will be a zoning president and not president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.“The Arewa Youths Forum (AYF), as part of its obligations and dedication to the effective demand for sound and competent leadership, has been following with keen interest the unfolding drama regarding which region produces the next president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. “We are of the view that the same brains behind the so-called ‘zoning’ or ‘powershift’ and ‘rotation’ in 1998/1999 did not do it out of sheer patriotism but hiding under the gamut of national interest for their personal political expediencies. Suffice it to say the ongoing revelations arising from their outbursts on for and against have directly confirmed their sinister interests. “The accumulation of wealth and sharing of government ‘juicy’ appointments to their wives, children, in-laws, accomplices and cronies have proved our argument right and factual. Their disdain to other critical and excruciating issues facing Nigeria and Nigerians directly confirm they are concerned only on their economic and political interests. Perhaps their complete silence and support for the first born of zoning politics, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, is also a moral indictment on their side. “They kept mute while he destroyed democratic principles and acted in Gestapo Commando style. To some extent, the debate is still in the academia that Nigeria’s wasted golden opportunity was ruined with Obasanjo. “Even though credit must be given to him for parading the most viable and competent Nigerians in his government whose significant touches have still not been matched three years now, and their becoming household names in the drive for global development is an exoneration to this thesis if found to be accurate. “If we allow this trend to be entrenched again it will be national disaster and a colossal mortgage of our dear nation to the smile, happiness and comfort of the few Nigerians who have reduced the power and rights of Nigerians to their own personal districts and counties. “Our position is clear on this brouhaha and wasted venture which is only profitable to hangers on and the ‘cabal’ who are in clusters. They should first and foremost apologize to Nigerians for criminally decentralizing our Presidency in their own concept of region and class considerations. “We are appealing to Nigerians to work assiduously in ensuring that this evil ‘zoning’ is buried like the ‘Third Term’ and replaced with competence and merit not only on the Presidency, but from the local government to the top; did we not feel the national embarrassment recently in the House of Representatives. The docility in the Senate alone has indicated that we are lost and bankrupt in sound legislative businesses. “We are also bothered with the tantrum we are seeing in our states Houses of Assembly and even the executive power play being exhibited by state governors, and all these are by extension the negative implications of ‘zoning’ or the turn by turn manning of offices. “We, without any reservation, demand that full democratic norms be allowed to be tested in play and not tested in half and closing door to competence and opening to failures and corrupt aspirants for the ill-gotten wealth in their strong rooms.” “We should also insist and ensure that the new leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC commences action by conducting a sound and computerized voter’s registration exercise, train personnel to be highly knowledgeable and principles in discharging their duties, and to as a matter of urgency get all financial grants in good time and finally to ensure it is free and fair elections, on the treatise of one man, one vote and it must count, coupled with impartial security agencies and all other critical stakeholders. “The stability and positive future of Nigeria now lies in between doing away with pocketing Nigeria in the pockets of few or allowing Nigerians to truly and genuinely decide the kind of Presidency or government they want, but then the death of zoning is a pace setter for better Nigeria.” In a related development, Southern Kaduna Progressive Youth Movement (SOKPYM) have also vowed to resist if possible with their blood the controversial zoning system adopted by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the position of the country’s President in 2011, saying that the advocates of the zoning lack knowledge of the provisions of the nation’s constitution. Addressing a press conference in Kaduna yesterday, the President of the Youth Movement, Caleb Abbot argued that with zoning arrangement, the country would not be able to produce a credible candidate for the presidency, adding that zoning would only favour those who would milk the nation’s resources dry in order to amass wealth to themselves.