ZONING: PDP'LL PAY THE PRICE IF… – CIROMA

Elder statesman and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mallam Adamu Ciroma, has said the party would pay a price if it refuses to honour the zoning and rotational arrangement agreed by the party's caucus in 2002.

The former minister told journalists in Potiskum, Yobe State, that the only way out of the logjam was for the party to hold a meeting to resolve the issue of whether to discard the agreement or continue with it.

Said he: 'There is the need to hold a meeting of the stakeholders to consider the proposition of those against zoning to convince members of the party that their reason is stronger than ours. Without this, it is going to be problematic.'

Mallam Ciroma said the zoning issue would not create any problem for the nation as being speculated. He explained that the constitution before General Abubakar Abdulsalam came into power recognized the zoning and rotational formula. According to him, there were supposed to be wo vice presidents, one from the South and the other from the North during the constituent assembly that was held in 1995.

With the arrangement, he said if the president was from the North and he died, the vice president from that zone was supposed to take over and vice versa. He said it was unfortunate that the area was expunged before the 1999 election.

In 1998 before the 1999 elections, Mallam Ciroma disclosed that PDP's caucus agreed on the present zoning and rotational arrangement, pointing out that it was the agreement that brought in President Olusegun Obasanjo, who, according to him, wanted to go for third term which was later quashed.

He further explained that when President Umaru Yar'Adua came into office for the North, he was expected to spend two terms of four years each but for his sudden death. He added that a northerner was supposed to complete the remaining tenure of office for the North.

The well-known politician who, however, could not deliver Yobe State for PDP said he never hated President Goodluck Jonathan but that agreement was meant to be kept. Heasoned that if there was the need for otherwise, those who came to such agreement should come back to resolve.