Political activities are moving sprightly, as next year’s general election approaches. The presidential election remains the major attraction and it is where all the efforts are concentrated at the moment. In the midst of this is President Goodluck Jonathan who, even though he has not said he wants to contest the election, is, however, the dominant topic in the presidential race.

By the last count, about 900 groups have appeared to  campaign for him to pick the presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against the perceived rotational arrangement between North and South that exists in the party.

Some northern leaders have since taken up the gauntlet in a determined effort to ensure that power at the centre turns over to a Northerner at the end of the election next year. They insist that the PDP’s agreement on rotation must be honoured. Some have, indeed, unearthed documents to prove that the party agreed to rotate power and, in their estimation, if the policy were to be dumped to allow a Southerner to remain in office, it would have untold consequences on the corporate existence of Nigeria.

Those who want President Jonathan to contest say that the rotational arrangement initially agreed on by the PDP in 1998/1999 has since been jettisoned because the party had not attempted to adhere to it in its selection processes, apart from the very first one that produced President Olusegun Obasanjo. Whereas Obasanjo should have been the automatic presidential candidate in 2003 after his first tenure, Atiku Ababakar, his second in command from Adamawa State, wanted the ticket in defiance of the zoning of the position to the South for eight years. Alhaji Ababakar Rimi from Kano State and Chief Barnabas  Gemade from Benue State – both excluded by the rotational arrangement-did not care about it either, and the party did nothing to stop their participation in the primary election, which they eventually lost to the incumbent.

There was a repeat of that in 2007 when the position was supposed to have gone to the North, but former Governor Peter Odili of Rivers State was poised to pick the ticket until he was stopped by Obasanjo, who imposed President Umaru Yar’Adua later on in the game.

Proponents of Jonathan’s continued presidency argue that the late  Yar’Adua did not become the party’s candidate because he was from the North, but at the discretion of Chief Obasanjo and it would, therefore, not be correct  to say that the PDP rotational arrangement is sacrosanct.   They have held fast to this position and are embarking on their campaign without hindrance, in their belief that the rotation policy could not be used to  preclude the president’s right to participate in the race for the 2011 presidency, since it is not known to the Nigerian constitution.

In the Presidency itself, there is nothing to suggest that President Jonathan is preparing to launch himself into the campaign fray. The business of running the country is going on unimpeded. But outside the Presidential Villa, you get a sense that his participation in the race is inevitable.

For political watchers, the clearest indication yet of the support for a Jonathan-led presidency in 2011 is the birth of ‘Friends for Democracy, made up of people serving in his government and others who have held various high ranking government positions in the past. The group is led by Senator Mohammed Abba Aji, the Special Adviser to the President on Assembly Matters, and also includes his Special Assistant in the same portfolio, Honourable Cairo Ojougboh, as director-general and former Deputy Senate President, Ibrahim Mantu, is the chairman of its planning and strategy committee.

Other notable personalities associated with the effort at this early stage are theVice Chairman (South West) of the PDP, Alhaji Shuabu Oyedokun; Senator Sylvanus Ngele; Senator Ifeanyi Ararume; Mr. Solomon Ewuga; former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Agunwa Anaekwe; Senator Clement Awoyelu and the immediate past deputy governor of Edo State, Chief Lucky Imasuen.

Efforts are now on to launch it in all the zones of the federation. The advent of the group followed the establishment of a similar one, the Goodluck Jonathan Support Group, led by the former Speaker of Adamawa State House of Assembly, Alhaji Ahmed Gulak. This group has already appointed coordinators for the 36 states of the federation and Abuja. But its existence hardly compares with the weight that the Friends of Democracy brings into the whole Jonathan 2011 presidency mix.

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written by olamide olasupo, July 16, 2010

I can see Clearly the intent of the Northerners , even though the election has not being contested they are so much rest assured it is their turn , I mean the PDP party in Northern part of the contry because they know zoning is automatic business as usual where votes dose not count , have they forgetting there is many more party that will contest for this presidential position in Nigeria , they are all dick head and have no knowledge what so ever , they believe they have the ultimate power has they have being dominating Nigeria with their old ways this time it will be though they will all die and war will rage if they try any nonsense have they forget how US invade sad am and bring him to justice talk less of Nigeria any trouble maker should be brought to justice , those people think they are above the law , they think they are law and people fear to deal with them to correct them , if they are being correct once they will stop all their stupid craps, they will all be captured if they try to cause trouble in Nigeria , enough of them , let any one that want to contest do so on open field and it should be properly , I will suggest a foreign nation should regulate Nigeria election and handle all that need to do with the election arrangements / security / investigation on corrupt contestant.and periodic checks / audit should be made by outsourcing the arms.

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