AS preparation for the national convention of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) scheduled for this weekend heightens, there are indications that it may jettison its zoning arrangement, and allow a free-for-all contest. This follows the reported decision of the party’s National Caucus to zone its chairmanship to the South.
Two South-West and South-South zones of the party had, in separate communiqués in June, this year, adopted the candidature of the erstwhile head of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT), Chief Harry Ayoade Akande, as the party’s next chairman.
Chief Don Etiebet from the South-South had served a five-year tenure as the chairman. The out-going Chairman, Chief Edwin Ume-Ezeoke from Anambra State, is serving the slot of the South-East. Akande is from the South-West that is yet to hold the office.
However, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) chieftains have said the elders in the North will not join the train of those who may want to use the contentious issue of zoning to destabilise the nation. They equally dissociated themselves from the on-going debate on zoning within the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
And, Governor Ibrahim Shekarau has expressed interest to vie for the presidency of Nigeria in the forthcoming 2011 polls.
Shekarau, who spoke to reporters at the Kano Government House however remarked that the bid, which would be made formal on August 5, this year, is not a do-or-die affair.
The governor ruled out the possibility of contending with former Military President, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida who is rumoured to be plotting to move into the ANPP if the PDP supports President Goodluck Jonathan’s purported bid to contest the 2011 polls.
The governor said there was no way Babangida can stand on his way because he would not satisfy the provision of the ANPP’s constitution (Article 9, Section 9 sub-sections 3, 4) that stipulates that anybody vying for the position of the presidency on the platform of the party must have been a member for not less than 12 months.
But some notable leaders of the ACF including the former Minister of Mines and Steel and chairman of the Political Committee of the Northern Socio-Cultural Group, Alhaji Ahmed Mohammed Gusau, said that the forum must not shy away from any political development that may undermine the interest of the North.
The Guardian source yesterday in Abuja disclosed that the caucus of the party which met on Tuesday night actually zoned the chairmanship position to the South, but it was not clear, which geopolitical zone of the south it was zoned to. The decision, it was learnt, was influenced by a serving governor and a former governor of the party, now a senator.
An influential governor of the party was, however, not invited to the meeting. The chairman of the sub-committee of the Convention Committee, Chief Kunle Ogunade in a telephone conversation, confirmed to The Guardian yesterday that the party’s position had been zoned to the South.
“It was rumoured initially that the position had been zoned to the South, but there was serious apprehension when it was being rumoured that it has been zoned to the South-East. That has been adjusted. What is happening now is that all the aspirants will have to go to the field,” he said.
In their separate communiqués signed by all the leaders in Ibadan and Port Harcourt respectively, the two zonal caucuses hinged their support for Chief Akande on the fact that the South-West zone has not produced the national chairman since the inception of the party 12 years ago.
The South-West caucus said its demand for the slot was legitimate and fair, considering the fact that the zone remains the only one that has never produced the national chairman.
“The South-West zone also resolved that the only candidate the zone adopts and considered credible and capable as to successfully lead the party in the capacity of the national chairman, is Chief Harry Ayoade Akande.”
The South- South caucus of the party at its meeting in Port Harcourt on June 12, 2010 expressed its support for the zoning of the position of the national chairmanship to the South-West during the forthcoming convention “since it is on record that the other two zones have had a fair share of one complete tenure each in Chief Don Etiebet and Chief Edwin Ume-Ezeoke respectively.
“The chairman of the ACF, Gen. Ibrahim B.M. Haruna (rtd) who, in his opening remarks, insisted that the nation’s constitution must guide all political actions in the country, said that the debate on zoning was not the same with either the issue of the constitutional amendment which the former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo embarked upon in the dying days of his regime to elongate his tenure or the non-remittance of letters to President Goodluck Jonathan by late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua which necessitated the “doctrine of necessity” that necessitated reactions from the Forum.
The ACF’s position on the debate was made known by the national chairman of the Forum during a “round-table discussion” on issues affecting northern unity in Kaduna, yesterday.
Haruna spoke as he also lamented over the level of disunity in the zone occasioned by non-co-operation between the organs of ACF and most of the 19 state governors in the north.
Among those who attended the “round table discussion” include, Gen. Haruna, Alhaji Saidu Barda, Mallam Mohammed Haruna, Mr. Hassan Hyet, Brig.-Gen. David Bamigboye, Maj.-Gen. David Jemibewon, Col. Musa Shehu (rtd), Alhaji Yusuf Idris, Alhaji Ahmed Mohammed Gusau, Dr. Nasirudeen Usman, Brig.-Gen. Mohammed, Hajia Halima Alfa, Alhaji Audu Sule, Mohammed Abdul and Alhaji Ibrahim Ahmed.
Others include Alhaji Bala Sokoto, Mr. Anthony Sani, Alhaji Ibrahim Coomassie, Alhaji Garuba Mohammed, Alhaji Ahmed Jalingo, Isa Kachako, Sheik Jarma, Gen. Garba Wushishi (rtd), Mr. John Paul, Burka Zarma, Idris Wada, Alhaji Aminu Attah and Mustapha Ahmed.
The chairman of the Political Committee of the ACF, Alhaji Gusau, had also lamented over what he described as the lukewarm attitude of some northerners to issues concerning the region, pointing out that “we should examine ourselves and see whether we are still one (North)”.
Gusau, who stressed that “this should not be the beginning of the disintegration of the North” pointed out that “most northerners now see themselves first as individuals before seeing themselves as northerners”, adding that the “North should harmonise its interests with national interest even as North needed its unity now more than before.”
However, in the address by Haruna entitled: “Viability of ACF as a vehicle of northern hegemony and its limit”, he stated that there was little or nothing that ACF could do as the matter fell within the purview of a political party which was designing how to share power as it deems fit.
According to Haruna, ACF is not a partisan organisation and therefore, constrained by its own constitution to dabble into political matters.
He, however, advised politicians on the need to “seek to promote democracy” by finding “workable system that would affect good governance in a multi-party democratic practice”.
Haruna added: “Recent political events have given rise to questioning the role, purpose and limits to the role of the ACF in the political ferment engendered by PDP in post-Obasanjo’s regime and the passing on of President Umaru Yar’adua.
“In as much as the Obasanjo’s Constitutional Reform Agenda was to promote his third term and subsequent self-succession, the same cannot be said of this later day zoning and rotation (PDP agreement), which can be enforced by the PDP or amended by them as they had done in the past.
“PDP, zoning and rotation do not call for any amendment of the Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria or even the Electoral Law even though it is the custom of our political practice, on the sharing of power. It therefore remains in the purview and political perspective of a political party to share power as they deem fit in adopting as their tactics for cohesion of their party, for promoting federal character, national unity and party loyalty.
“Therefore, the ACF as an umbrella body of the historical northern region can only fulfill its purpose as set out in its Constitution. It is a consultative forum of the people of the erstwhile northern region.
“While the ACF has been engaging its efforts to encourage unity in the North and promote security and peace in the North and indeed Nigeria, it is constrained by its constitution and therefore it cannot leap into the bounds of a political party’s domestic affairs or the preserves of the 19 northern governors.
“We have to remind ourselves that in the Nigerian Federation (not confederation), we practice presidential system (not parliamentary cabinet system where the prime minister is first among equals), where its 150 million people, in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory; its 774 local councils and its over 250 ethnic nationalities each have to expressly seek to promote democracy and have to find workable system that would affect good governance, in a multi-party democratic practice.
“In our growth in democracy we seek to build a plural, cultural society that shuns domination or marginalisation of any group and promotes the upholding of fundamental human rights.
“The ACF is in a hierarchy and at the epic piece, not PDP umbrella, one finds that it is composed of former “Arewareans” who had ruled in Nigeria.
“Regrettably, the body’s relationship has not been strengthened because of weaknesses in the contact between the state governor and the former national leaders.
“This has affected northern unity and the effectiveness of ACF. The resolve of the ACF to face its common challenges depends on the strength of its foundation and that is the state chapter.
“The chapters need a healthy interaction with the governors of their states, state authorities and their various ethnic people, to generally; nurture a non- partisan plural society.
“Whereas the ACF has reached out to meet with chapters, patrons and members through visits and general meetings and has submitted memoranda, to governments and commissions, the ACF, has yet to receive reciprocity from northern political and influential personalities to demonstrate some mutual desire to consult or co-ordinate our search for progress.
“However there are good signs, yesterday – we dialogued with the Northern Political Leaders Forum (NPLF): there have been calls in certain quarters that ACF should demonstrate the qualities or effectiveness by acting as a principal, supervisor and dictators instead of consultants.
“We need to further better understanding of our different roles. To bridge the gap some patrons had noted that the lack of extensive discussions involving the top tier and lower tiers of ACF is the main cause and therefore suggested that ACF should initiate a meeting of leaders and elders.
“ACF therefore incorporated the leadership and elders’ meeting as a part of its 10th anniversary programme.
“The meeting was held on April 28, 2010. It was scantly subscribed and its agenda was tentative. Following what seemed whimsical at the meeting, the leadership requested that the ACF secretariat should in-not-so-distant date organize an all inclusive and embracing meeting to promote discussions by the leadership and the elders of ACF.
“It is to be noted that this meeting and the previous one were not conceived or motivated by the recent debates on Zoning and Rotation.
“While we recall that the ACF had throughout the debates on the Non-transmitting of the President illness; and the ‘doctrine of necessity’ conjured by the legislature maintained as its policy that whatever course a debate takes or decision that is taken should be a decision that is consistent with the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the laws.
“The ACF’S policies and activities are founded on this premise of constitutionalism of its own constitution as well. We at ACF rein our Northern sentiments and emotions because we desire to become a leading civilized society under the laws, ethic, morality and the tradition and customs, so well established”.
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