By Daniel Idonor
ABUJA—PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan may have got a commitment from the people of Plateau State over his alleged presidential ambition in the 2011 election, as the state, yesterday, assured him to count on their block vote should he decide to run.

Governor Jonah Jang, who gave the assurance, stated that there is no provision in the 1999 Constitution that stops or bars the President from contesting the presidency on account of his geo-political zone.

Speaking to State House correspondents, yesterday, through his Director of Press, James Mannok, Governor Jang said those who are using the zoning formula argument to try to whip up sentiments should face the reality that things are changing dramatically across the globe and Nigeria cannot be an exception.

According to him, as a founding member of the ruling PDP and a member of its board of trustee, there has never been a time the leadership had adopted the zoning formula, but that what happened in 1999 was to take care of the exigencies of the time which then, favours the south-west.

“Anything that is not democracy cannot be democracy and cannot look like it. The president is free to contest the elections as nothing in the constitution stops him from doing so. Our president can come from any part of the country”.

According to him, “what we want is a man that can perform to deliver the country from its present woes and not just because the person is not from a particular part of the nation. That is not democracy.

“As it is, the PDP constitution does not in any way zone offices. People have misconstrued what happened in 1999 that brought in former president Olusegun Obasanjo to mean a different thing.

“That was never an adoption of a zoning formula but an arrangement to take care of the concerns of that moment. Right now the circumstances are quite different as they are not the same”, he added.

He added that, “those issues that warranted such decisions no longer exist and so a level playing field is what is needed to have a credible and generally acceptable leadership for the nation”.

The governor said the people of Plateau State are satisfied with the performances of President Jonathan and appreciated his role in the resolution of the ethno_ sectarian crisis which engulfed the state in recent times.

“We equally appreciate the efforts of the President in arresting the crisis that took place in our state as he showed deep concern by deploying all within his ability to see that order, peace and stability were restored.

To this, we remain grateful as a people and therefore will work for him if he shows interest. I can assure you that as a people, we will support him to be president come 2011. We will all give him our solid support” he said.