[size=16pt]You’re a sellout, Izuogu tells Nwodo[/size]

From MODESTUS CHUKWULAKA, Abuja
Friday, July 09, 2010

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Ezekiel Izuogu, yesterday described the National Chairman of the party, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, as a sellout, following the latter’s stance on the vexed issue of zoning.

Nwodo had told reporters in Abuja on Wednesday that zoning, as far as the PDP, was concerned was a past tense, and had been jettisoned long before now. But Izuogu said the people of the South-East from where the national chairman hails had found his stance rather shocking.

Speaking to journalists in reaction to Nwodo’s comment in Abuja yesterday, Izuogu, a former national chairmanship candidate of the party, said the new party chairman was “on his own” and could not have spoken for anybody else.
He berated Nwodo for bringing his own personal sentiment to bear on official interpretation of a fundamental party issue, saying that the national chairman did not care to consult anybody before making his categorical statement.

He was particularly riled that Nwodo did not consult the South-East before his controversial comment on zoning, noting that he, as founding national secretary of the party and now national chairman, had been a beneficiary of the zoning arrangement put in place to address the issue of marginalization against some sections of the country by others.

“Nwodo’s statement came to everyone as a shock, especially in the South East. How can he say zoning is dead when he himself is a product of zoning? The appointment given to him is based on the fact that he is from the South East where the position is zoned to,” Izuogu said.

The eminent scientist-turned politician and former governorship candidate in Imo State, said the South East was in total support of the zoning arrangement in the party and was insisting that it should go round as a way of ensuring that every section of the country is given a sense of belonging.

‘Many of us in the South East are disappointed with him over that statement. How can he make such a pronouncement without consulting anyone? Unless he was misquoted by the media, we will remain shocked by his statement. The South East is supporting zoning and it should go round,” Izuogu further pointed out.

http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2010/july/09/national-02-09-2010-006.htm

Nwodo has since clarified himself as observed in the link below. Izuuogu should please mellow down

http://www.champion.com.ng/index.php?news=34350

Izuogu should just take a chilled beer and relax.

Nwodo is only properly clarifying what PDP have done since 1999. It does not translate to Igbos supporting removal of zoning. What we said (through our governors) is that we won't contest for president or vice next year.
Everything else is still being worked out (my guess).

I knew it was BULL!!!

Nwodo: PDP Revisiting Zoning
•Northern leaders slam party chairman
From Emmanuel Bello and Chuks Okocha in Abuja, 07.09.2010

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Chair-man, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, has clarified his position on zoning, saying the party is revisiting the contentious power rotation arrangement and not “killing it”.

But before his veiled retraction, Northern Leaders had taken umbrage at Wedne-sday’s statement where Nwodo said there was no zoning at present in the party.

Some of the Northern leaders described his stance as irresponsible and provocative.
Nwodo, however, distanced himself from the sensational headlines in yesterday’s dailies crediting him as saying “zoning is dead”.
A statement from his Spokesman Ike Abonyi said Nwodo could not have pronounced zoning dead as he became National Chairman because the position was zoned to the South-east.

”What Nwodo said, which was contained in the body of most of the report is that the party will revisit zoning because it has operated in breach since 2003,” he said.

According to Abonyi, Nwodo even went further to explain the process he intends to follow in revisiting it when he said it would be “cooked” at NWC, taken to the party caucus and BoT for fine-tuning before going to NEC of the party for deliberation and endorsement.

Nwodo also explained how the zoning was breached in the past when he said that except in 1999 when the party returned late Abubakar Rimi’s non-refundable money, in 2003 and 2007 the party accepted money and cleared aspirants from every zone to contest.

He said: “In 2003, names like the then incumbent Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, Abubakar Rimi, Barnabas Gemade all from the North challenged Southern aspirants including President Olus-egun Obasanjo and Dr. Alex Ekwueme.

”In 2007, when presidency was believed to have been zoned to the North, more Southern aspirants including former Governors, Peter Odili, Victor Attah, Donald Duke, Sam Egwu and Chimaroke Nnamani as well as Rochas Okorocha all challenged Northern aspirants that included Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, Abdullahi Adamu and Prof. Jerry Gana.”

Abonyi said Nwodo advised members of the party to disregard the sensational headlines and remain focused on the fact that he is in the party to “break down the barrier and return the party to the people.”

Spokesman of the Northern Leaders Political Forum and former Senate President, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, who spoke to THISDAY last night, denied that zoning has been jettisoned, saying the entire PDP machinery “reaffirmed the principles of zoning and power rotation” at its meeting in Abuja in 2002.

The former Senate president said for anyone to now claim PDP has jettisoned zoning would be akin to rejecting the universal principles of truth.

Speaking with journalists two days ago in Abuja, Nwodo had said: “Yes, I said…and I repeat to you again that zoning in PDP has been jettisoned. There is no zoning on ground right now. Absolutely, there is no zoning.”

But Ayu said: "Zoning was not only introduced in the party in 1998, it was reaffirmed in 2002 by the party leaders at the expanded caucus meeting of the party in Abuja. 47 of us agreed to the fact that the power rotation arrangement in the party should be maintained. We agreed that then President Olusegun Obasanjo should complete his eight years in power after which the North should produce the next president who will in turn serve for eight years.

"For any one, including the national chairman of the party, to now come and say that the arrangement has been jettisoned is irresponsible and unbecoming of leaders."

Ayu reiterated the fact that zoning was adopted by PDP founding fathers after a careful assessment of the peculiarities of country.”
"Respecting zoning is not only right; it is moral, just and patriotic. We must allow the zoning agreement to reach its full circle because we are a young federation, we must create avenue that will ensure all our people have a sense of belonging.

"The PDP recognizes zoning for party offices that is why the party chairman today is from the South-east. If he should be out of that office today, someone from his zone will be made chairman, the same way it happened when Prince Vincent Ogbulafor resigned," Ayu added.
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar merely restated the significance of zoning.

He said: “Zoning is in the best interest of Nigeria at this stage of our political development. It is the best guarantee that every component group in Nigeria will have a shot at critical political offices. It is the best guarantee against domination and marginalization of minority groups by the majority.”

Also, former military president, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, said zoning in the party is not dead, explaining that in a plural society such as Nigeria, the concept of power sharing and rotation cannot be jettisoned.

Speaking though his Spokesman Prince Kassim Afegbua, who spoke to THISDAY from London, Babangida said: "In a plural society such as Nigeria, the concept of power sharing and rotation cannot be jettisoned.

He said: "All the people who today occupy elective offices in the country are products of zoning. So zoning is not only imperative for our country, it is the only way to guarantee the survival and sustenance of the system.

"Any one now saying that zoning has been jettisoned does not know the delicate balance of Nigerian society.

"Nigeria is a plural society, hence, we cannot afford to undermine the aspirations of our people in the respective zones. If zoning is not an option, the PDP could as well produce all party and elective positions from one zone.”

Leader of the Arewa Consultative Forum, General IBM Haruna, told THISDAY that it was wrong for the PDP chairman to say zoning is dead.

He said: “It is clear that even our constitution recognises this zoning. The principle of federal character is one that upholds the need for fair representation. This is because without this, many people would be sidelined in a complex polity as ours. So even if the baby called zoning is dead in PDP, the grandfather of zoning which is federal character is alive. This is the only thing that will ensure equitable distribution of power amongst the people”.

One of PDP founding fathers, Alhaji Isyaku Ibrahim, said zoning was reached at the inception of the party.
He described as “unfortunate”, the current attempt by those he said were signatories to the pact to distance themselves from the issue.

He said “I’m still baffled at this sad attempt by some people who are signatories to the agreement, but who now want to wriggle out of it. What I have continued to say is that a gentleman’s agreement is an agreement. There is a moral burden on anyone who wants to discredit that and say his own thing. I have no quarrels with anyone who wants to deny the agreement and run from it. But let’s accept the fact that there was a pact and we all know about it. We are not being gentlemanly to come and lie to the nation that there wasn’t such thing. Please, let’s be men enough, honest and trustworthy to accept what was done. Nwodo and Jonathan are all products of this same zoning. So, is it that after they have benefitted, they would now jettison it?”

[size=16pt]Zoning not rigid, northern govs insist[/size]

The Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum, Dr. Babangida Aliyu, on Thursday, restated the position of the forum on zoning, saying the arrangement was not rigid.

The governor, who spoke to our correspondent through his Director-General on Public and Media Affairs, Alhaji Baba Abdulkadir, said that the forum had stated that people of the region would determine the governors’ position in zoning.

According to him, the NGF in Kaduna last week decided that the forum would facilitate consultations with traditional rulers and other stakeholders before arriving at any decision.

The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, had in an interview with journalists on Wednesday, said the party had dumped zoning.

Explaining the position of the NGF, Aliyu said that it was only holy books like the Quran and the Bible that could not be subjected to dialogue, consultations and negotiation because their contents are from God. The case of zoning he continued, “Was a creation of man for our convenience to address a particular circumstance. It is therefore necessary to further discuss and subject it to dialogue.”

He said that zoning was a strategy put in place by politicians to win elections and stabilise the polity, adding that with “the ongoing nation-wide consultation and dialogue on the issue, the people’s opinion will determine the direction the northern governors will go at the end of the day.”

Aliyu disclosed that the decisions reached from the consultations would be presented by the northern governors at the next meeting of the forum slated for this month and that this will influence the position of the NGF on the matter.

Also commenting on zoning on Thursday, the National Vice-Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Tajudeen Oladipo, supported the position of Nwodo.

In an interview with one of our correspondents, Oladipo said, ”The story of THE PUNCH on the issue (zoning) today is very correct. Our National Chairman said the PDP dumped zoning in 2002. This is an incontrovertible fact.”

He, however, said that would meet again and take a collective decision on the arrangement before 2011 elections. Oladipo also said that President Goodluck Jonathan was free to contest the election.

http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art20100709155675

Well we will find out with time what Nwodo said but the status quo is not sustainable.

If they say Zoning is the only way we can do politics in Nigeria then lets have it written in the constitution and define who will take turns when?

If however we all come to the conclusion that zoning is not good enough for the Nigerian constitution then it is simply not worth having, lets discard it entirely.

because what is going on right now is akin to designing a turn by turn system that should go full cycle in 48years but only giving the system just a 20years life span.   That sounds like intentionally designing a system in which about only 40% of the section of the country can benefit from. What happens to the remaining 60%?

PDP Constitution, policies and politics right now is almost as good as Nigerian constitution and the sum of Nigerian policies and politics. However there is no guarantee this will be the case 10, 15, 20years from now.

So my question is why are those; inlcuding some who are non-members nor fans of PDP; who support zoning afraid to have it in the constitution?

I honestly think there is no need for anybody to try to con anybody in the digital age. Lets have it free for all, let all who want to run, run. The reason for dominance or monopoly of politics in Nigeria is because the silent majority simply refused to play smart politics and be innovative. If they can not be then there is no need encouraging a short court that is already stoking up hatred.