By Chioma Gabriel, Deputy Editor
On September 18, , President Goodluck Jonathan is expected to declare his Presidential ambition and Nigerians await his declaration as that would put an end to the much hyped debate over his right to contest on the platform of PDP which controversial zoning formula pegged presidency to the North till 2015 inspite of the clarification of the NWC of the party that Jonathan has inherited Yar’ Adua’s second term in office.

Presidential aide to the national assembly, Senator Abba Aji declared recently that the president whom he said fasted along with the Muslims will declare after Ramadan and with Ramadan over, Nigerians are waiting anxiously for the President’s declaration.

Recently, it was also reported that President Jonathan appointed Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Dr. Dalhatu Tafida, as the Director of his campaign organisation . Dr. Dalhatu Tafida is expected to coordinated the president’s campaign in the country’s six geo-political zones just as Dr Raymond Dopkesi will coordinate for the former military dictator, General Ibrahim Babangida.

Meanwhile, contrary to earlier reports that the former National Security Adviser, NSA, Lt. General Aliyu Gusau is interested in the presidential race, Gusau has allegedly debunked the story and re-interated his continued support for president Jonathan’s ambition to secure a second term in office.

Only recently, the South- South Peoples Assembly in its summit in Port Harcourt endorsed support for Jonathan, pledging to go with him all the way. The South-East zone however has not been decisive on its position even as more discordant tunes trail Jonathan’s presidential ambition.

Few days ago, former Minister of Petroleum, Professor Tam David West took a swipe at Jonathan’s presidential ambition saying it would be a disaster for Jonathan to declare on the platform of PDP.

“ PDP must provide a Northern candidate. If it gets its candidate from any where other than the North, there will be problems because its constitution says so. PDP should either change its constitution if it insists that Jonathan will contest. If that change is not effected, then, Jonathan cannot contest on the platform of PDP. If he goes ahead, he will be asking for trouble.

That section 7: 2(c) of the PDP constitution must be removed. The party agreed it’s eight years to the South and eight to the North and must abide by it. I am not a politician, I belong to no political party but I have the interest of the country at heart. As at now, for the interest of PDP, the party must have a Northern candidate. Jonathan should go elsewhere.

“It’s about the constitution of the party and the fact that some people want Jonathan to contest. I’m not saying Jonathan should not contest if he wants but it should not be on the platform of PDP. Jonathan is currently on Yar’Adua mandate. That mandate died with Yar’Adua. Jonathan can only conclude the remaining four years and we all know this.

Why are we doing like this? Jonathan cannot contest another four years on behalf of Yar’Adua. The doctrine of necessity is not applicable here. It is not in our constitution. There is nothing like Yar’Adua/Jonathan joint ticket. It was Yar’Adua and he picked Jonathan as his running mate.

Things should not be mixed up. Jonathan was irrelevant when Yar’Adua was around. It was not his mandate. The constitution is clear on this. The presidential candidate will choose his running mate. Yar’Adua chose Jonathan. He was just lucky to be chosen by Yar’Adua.

As Vice-President, Jonathan was nothing without Yar’Adua because the Constitution is clear. It is the presidential candidate that chooses who will run with him. To say Jonathan has inherited the right to a second term in office is not true.”

David West’s position is in total contrast with the position of the Chairman of the Elders’ Council of the South South Peoples; Assembly, Ambassador M.T. Mbu who is of the opinion that Jonathan can declare on the platform of PDP.

“ He should go ahead and declare. We have already told him during the last summit of the South-South that he has our support. Let him declare. There is no problem and there won’t be any problem.

I think the time has come for Nigerians to stop being pessimistic. We should not be thinking problem, problem all the time. We should be thinking of solutions. I don’t see any problem with Jonathan declaring his presidential bid on the platform of PDP. There is no cause for alarm.

And of course, we are in a democracy and you don’t expect everybody to support him. It is only in a military dictatorship that everybody is expected to support one person but we are in a democracy. People are entitled to their divergent opinions.”

Deputy Minority Whip of the Senate, Senator Olrunnmbe Mamora , AC, Lagos East however asked Nigerians to seize President Jonathan’s declaration as an opportunity to assess his performance and decide whether he merits being elected president in 2011.