ABUJA—Elder statesman and former Minister of Aviation as well as Minister of Labour and Productivity,  Alabo Graham-Douglas, has asked politicians, especially proponents of zoning who are opposed to the candidacy of President Goodluck Jonathan, to stop arrogating to themselves the prerogatives of the electorate to choose leaders of their choice.

In an interview with journalists, weekend, Graham-Douglas said the opposition being orchestrated against president Jonathan’s candidacy was the handiwork of a few individuals who were not comfortable with the impending change in the leadership of the country.

According to him, even before President Goodluck Jonathan contemplated contesting for the presidency, some individuals felt that contesting for the presidency was their exclusive entitlement.

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He recalled that when the former president of the United States of America, John Kennedy, was assassinated, his deputy,  Lyndon Johnson, was sworn in without question.

He said: “In our peculiar situation, late President Umaru Yar’Adua took ill due to no fault of his. If he took ill, his vice should have been sworn in. But you saw the politics that went into it before he was even given acting appointment.

“As he became acting president, a section of the country said Oh, 2011 Jonathan should not contest. The man had not even nursed the idea of coming to contest and people came to tell him you must never contest.”

The former minister said those who think they were popular and would want to test their popularity should allow Nigerians decide who they want to rule them.

He observed that coming from the region that produces the bulk of the nation’s wealth, which ironically has the highest rate of poverty in the country, it would be just to allow Dr. Goodluck Jonathan contest to give the people of the region a sense of belonging.