By Luka Binniyat
ABUJA – The campaign for Social and Political Justice, SPJ, yesterday lambasted the Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, for condemning President Jonathan Goodluck’s declaration to seek for a presidential ticket under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

It will be recalled that the ACF last Sunday condemned the declaration by Jonathan in Abuja, saying it was a betrayal of the zoning principle of the PDP and that he was setting a dangerous precedence

Chairman of the SPJ, Chief Alex Aniesona, however, at a briefing yesterday, said ACF’s  stand on zoning in the PDP was wrong and deceitful.

“Some of these core northerners hiding under the cover of the ACF to achieve their political objectives are not saying the truth about zoning.

“They fully know that zoning was done as a result of the circumstance which the party found itself at that time.  Zoning is an arrangement of convenience, it is futuristic and is done under the merit of each election

“If one is sincere to the spirit of the party’s principle of zoning, Yar’Adua/Jonathan’s ticket must be viewed from the same perspective as that of Obasanjo/Atiku ticket”, he went on, “the only difference is that the death of Yar’Adua has left Jonathan/Sambo to continue with the ticket,” he said.

The Chairman of SPJ, who said that his group would mobilise for mass grassroots support for Jonathan, said that zoning is done so that all parts of the federation get a fair share of power.

“Why should the core north complain now that the South South wants to take a serious shot at the Presidency under the PDP?

“Who is stopping the core north from contesting for the ticket in both the PDP and other parties  to contest and win the Presidency?

“The North has held power for 37 years while the South-South and the South East have ruled for only 9 months”, he chided the ACF,” he said.

He said that the South South has been a strong ally of the north when it comes to power, and as such the core north should be bind by conscience to support the South South now.

“The South East which has suffered the same deprivation like the South South, has seen the reason for justice, that is why it is fully behind the South South in this pursuit, so that when their turns comes, they would also enjoy the same support,” he said.

He warned the ACF to desist from making statements that would heat up the polity and join hands with the majority of Nigerians, whom he said, have made up their minds to vote for Goodluck both at the Primaries and the General elections”, he said.