By Tina Akannam
An elderly committee member of Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, Alhaji Bashir Abba Sheriff, has observed that the choice of former vice president Atiku Abubakar as the choice of the Northern Political Leaders Forum, NPLF, gives  a political advantage to  the CPC.

He said CPC  will take advantage of PDP’s  weakness  in the forthcoming presidential election to defeat PDP.

Alhaji Bashir who spoke to Vanguard exclusively in Dutse said the  former vice president can never be  the choice of the north, adding that since he is the choice of  Northerners in the PDP who are agitating for a  northern president, it is a welcome decision because it will only pave way for CPC.

The CPC chieftain who described the zoning formula as a PDP affair, warned that the concept was adopted by the PDP to deceive Nigerians against voting for their choice candidate in 2011 polls, adding that  the recent development within the ruling party has vindicated the fears of many Nigerians who never liked the zoning formula.

He then called on opposition party members not to join the PDP in handling its internal problem, alleging that it  is a grand plan to woo other political parties into their crisis so that the northern presidency controversy will be seen as a national issue.

He said: “We will not be deceived by the PDP in the controversy they started within themselves. Like I said earlier, the CPC is a national party and  we will give power to capable hands based on merit.”
and  not tribe or religion’.

‘I have warned that what PDP is trying to  introduce into the nation’s polity will only over heat the polity, and the CPC will not be part of it nor allow it to derail the forthcoming elections in 2011’, he added.

He noted that the nation’s presidential seat cannot be controlled by any formula or force because what Nigerians need is a chance that will bring good governance and development.

Alhaji maintained that zoning is a PDP problem not the problem of the nation because what an average Nigerian wants is a good leader.