That PDP Zoning Plan …X-Ray Ciroma, Ekwueme, Obasanjo Angles

Embattled Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman, Chief Vincent Ogbulafor went ahead of himself, when early this year upon the declaration of then Vice President Goodluck Jonathan as Acting President, he fore-closed the possibility of a Southern President in 2011. None could tell then, if he meant it or was merely patronising his political benefactors in the North.

Apparently ignoring all other variables like the fate of the then ailing President, Yar’Adua, the constitutional right of Jonathan to aspire to any political height in the land and the Nigerian peoples power to choose who governs them, Ogbulafor, with some seemingly seal of finality ruled that the presidency of Nigeria, under his party had been zoned to the Northern part of the country.

Armed with that assurance, many Northern elements have continued to repeat same refrain in such an annoying manner that makes one wonder why it should be so and whether they take into account the hopes and aspirations of other Nigerians. Apparently following same dangerous and divisive path, the highly respected one-time Minister for Finance and many times presidential candidate, Adamu Ciroma also stated emphatically that not only did the North voluntarily cede power to the South in 1999, but it also decided that the same power be returned to the north after Yar’Adua, who had been elected in 2007 for a single term of four years.

Coming from a political marksman and founding father of the PDP, one was tempted to believe Ciroma comments as the truth, not minding the many questions such arrangement raised and the doubt it created on many minds. The option was to sit by and brood until recently when one-time Vice President of Nigeria, Chief Alex Ekwueme and Yar’Adua’s predecessor, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo publicly contradicted their Northern co-founder, Adamu Ciroma.

Ekwueme was direct in his denial of such zoning arrangement and challenged skeptics to point to any portion of either the PDP constitution or the 1999 Nigerian Constitution wherein such details could be found. If such agreement existed, Ekwueme argued, he should be one of many that ought to know, in view of his profile and pedigree.

President Obasanjo, on the other hand, queried the propriety of such arrangement which in his view tantamounts to counting chicks  of a hen before the eggs are hatched.

How for instance, can one give a presidential candidate, two terms of eight years, even before his  or her first election? If there was such zoning arrangement, why was he, Obasanjo, then an incumbent PDP president, not declared un-opposed but made to go through a gruelling party primary?

Obasanjo said the closest to the half-truth being fed the gullible voters is that the party, upon formation agreed to take into cognisance the various interests, hopes and fears of all in any general election , certainly not in a re-run.

Going by this, it is unthinkable how the various interests should merely be ‘North’ and ‘South’, an arrangement, condemned to history since the forced amalgamation of 1914. How, for instance should the PDP contemplate such arrangement, if it truly did, when, the constitution defines federal character differently?

This is why all the talk of zoning the presidency to the North must be done away with, because it falls flat in the face of constructive debate. Not only that, Nigeria is where she is today, backward, due largely to the level of corruption among past leaders of the forced union, and the absolute power which a section of the country enjoyed , over and above other interests, using the traditional hold on to power.

That being so, Nigeria aught to do away with the failed by familiar and venture more pro-active measures in search for alternative leadership, which Jonathan represents.

In fact, present day realities have shown clearly the hand of God in the affairs of the nation and should naturally teach those who play god in every political plan, that the all-knowing Supreme Being has a purpose for this country and her people , and that Jonathan is the vessel.

Perhaps, now is the time to state that those insisting that incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan should run in 2011 have a point  although, like the embattled PDP Chairman, Ogbulafor, they too, went ahead of themselves. The issue is not whether Jonathan has the right to contest or not because he does, the question is if he would want to.

If he would, Jonathan must not allow the vain talks over that non-verifiable zoning arrangement to deter him, because everything about the so-called rotational plan is flawed, insane, jaundiced and lacking in vital principles of equity, fairness and good conscience.

Besides, Jonathan must realise that the number of options he had while on a  visit to the United States of America (USA) as Acting President are now drastically reduced to just two, as would be found presently.

Then, he had the options of re-contesting as Vice President to a super candidate; returning to Bayelsa State as one -time acting president or facing the presidency.

As it is today, Jonathan should not be expected to be vice to any one having become President and Commander –in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria and that leaves him with two options, if service to the nation is what is on his mind, ‘run for the president’ in 2011- period.

However, Jonathan must not let such political thoughts distract him from doing the job providence has elected him to do at this trying moment.

Here’s where I do agree with the Ijaw National Congress (INC) which recently advised Jonathan to forget 2011, for now”. This is so because victory in a presidential election depends on many variables which include positive achievements made by an incumbent.

That is why it is laughable that a political party could give two-terms of eight years to a candidate even before servicing out a first in the name of zoning.

My Agony is that even those that Nigerians should depend upon to correct such miscalculations are buying the mombo jumbo.

Methinks Jonathan appears ready and able to do right, having felt that pain of deprivation and so should do well today and contest the presidential election in 2011.