From right, former President Ibrahim Babangida; member of the Group, Dr. Junaidu Muhammed; ex. Senate President, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu and ex Vice President Atiku Abubakar briefing journalists after a meeting of over 150 Northern Leaders on the 2011 Presidential Electoral Process at the Shehu Yar'adua Centre, Abuja...Thursday night Photo by Abayomi Adeshida

By Henry Umoru
ABUJA—NORTHERN leaders, said, yesterday, they had all it takes to win free and fair elections without special arrangements.

They said that their respect for political agreements and desire to allow the principle of zoning to run its full course should not be construed as weakness on their part.

The leaders made the assertion in a communiqué signed by former Senate President, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, at the end of the meeting of political leaders from the 19 northern states and FCT to deliberate on the political situation in the country, especially following the demise of President Umaru Yar’Adua, in Abuja, June 17, 2010.

According to the statement: “A strong, united and virile North is crucial to the unity and corporate existence of Nigeria and must be pursued with all vigour, sacrifice and commitment. There is, therefore, the need to ensure that the North remains united on crucial issues of national significance, especially where these issues affect the welfare of the people and their general well-being.

“The demise of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua has thrown up a huge moral and political challenge which the nation must face and resolve calmly, with sincerity, integrity and foresight. While politicians come and go, the nation and its people will remain engaged in creating an enabling environment for mutual peaceful co-existence through a variety of political engineering mechanisms to ensure that the nation remains politically stable, economically viable and socially virile.

In this regard, the forum called on all Nigerians, especially politicians, to place the best interest of the nation and its political stability over and above personal or sectional interests.

Unhealthy anxiety

“The issue of producing the next President of Nigeria is generating unnecessary and unhealthy anxiety in the land. It is regrettable that the nation is sliding to its pre-1999 situation whereby a deliberate and dangerous propaganda is being deployed to confuse Nigerians where the nation’s next President will be coming from.

This was an issue, which has long been resolved, leading to the emergence of Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in 1999 and 2007 respectively. The nation must not be dragged into avoidable crises whenever a political transition was about to take place. We must either agree to respect mutual political agreements or continue to stumble from one avoidable political crisis to another to the detriment of the nation and its political stability.

“The people of the North never demanded for zoning of any political office in Nigeria. However, they acceded to the demands of their compatriots in the South who saw zoning as the only mechanism for ensuring equal and easy access to power by every Nigerian regardless of geographical location. If anybody now believed that the principle of zoning was no longer required for equal or easy access to power or no longer relevant to the political stability of Nigeria, let them come out clearly and say so, not resort to puerile legal and constitutional arguments.”

Constitutional arguments

The statement added: “Constitutional arguments do not necessarily solve political problems, a fact made clear by the emergence of President Goodluck Jonathan as acting President in March 2010. That the North is calling on politicians and other stakeholders to respect political agreements and allow the principle of zoning to run its full course, should not be construed as weakness on its part. Northerners have all it takes to win free and fair elections without special arrangements.

“There would have been no need for special political arrangement to concede power to the South in 1999 if Nigerians were ready to accept their Presidents to come, perpetually, from any part of the country.

“That, in practice, zoning as a political mechanism to stabilize the country since 1999, has applied to every political office in Nigeria at all levels. We must be certain that we are ready as a nation to jettison the practice at all levels before we throw it overboard or set in motion a process that may lead to avoidable chaos and anarchy in the land.”

The statement said the leaders resolved that: “The scope of this meeting be expanded to include and comprise all other interest groups, political parties and persons who share the goals and objectives of the meeting.”

It added: “In this regard, it was resolved that other important personalities and stakeholders, especially General Muhammadu Buhari and Governor Ibrahim Shekarau who have publicly declared their intention to aspire to the office of President be invited to the next meeting.”

According to Dr. Ayu, the leaders continued with various committees geared towards achieving their set goals. These are Planning and Strategy Committee with Professor Ignatius Ayua as Chairman, Dr. Abubakar Siddique Mohammed, Professor Yakubu Mukhtar, Dr. Sule Bello; Sen. Davis Iornem; Professor Nuhu Yaqub, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, Alhaji Usman Alhaji Basher Yusuf Ibrahim Farouk B.B. Farouk Omar Shittien, Prof. Maxwell Gidado and Sen. Salisu Ibrahim Matori as members.

Contact and Mobilization Committee has Mallam Adamu Ciroma as Chairman while North Central will be handled by General Ibrahim B. Babangida (rtd), Gen. I.M. Wushishi (rtd), Maj. Gen David Jemibewon (rtd), Chief Audu Ogbeh, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, Amb. Yahaya Kwande, Alhaji Shaba Lafiagi, Prof. Daniel Saror, Mr. Patrick Adaba and Alhaji Mohammed Hassan, Ciroman Keffi.

The North East has Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Dr. Shettima Mustafa, Alhaji Mohammed Bello Kirfi, Prof. Saad Abubakar, Amb. Yarima Abdullahi, Sen. Abubakar Mahdi, Prof. Isa B. Mohammed, Alhaji Dahiru Bobbo, and Alhaji Yakubu Tsala

The North West has Alhaji M.D.Yusufu, Alhaji Umaru Aliyu Shinkafi, Alhaji Lawal Kaita, Sen. M.T. Liman, AVM Hamza Abdullahi, Alhaji Magaji Dambatta, Maj. Gen. Mohammed Magoro (rtd), Sen. Garba Ila Gada, Alhaji Yahaya Abdulkarim and Alhaji Usman Alhaji also as members.

The Publicity Committee is chaired by Alhaji Magaji Dambatta with Chief Audu Ogbe, Alhaji Sani Zangon Daura, Mallam Mohammed Haruna, Mallam Bukar Zarma, Alhaji Ahmed Mohammed Gusau and Amb. Zubairu Dada as members.