BY CLIFFORD NDUJIHE, DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR & HENRY UMORU
IN their quest to correct the distortion in the zoning formula of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) occasioned by the emergence of Rep Aminu Tambuwal (North-West) as speaker of the House of Representatives and Rep Emeka Ihedioha (South-East) as deputy speaker, the presidency and PDP hierarchy may ‘compensate’ the ‘short-changed’ zones – South-West and North-East with key ministerial appointments, Vanguard has learnt
According to sources, the two zones may produce the ministers of Defence, Petroleum, Agriculture, Water Resources, Transport and Power among others.
Currently, the only top post occupied by the South-West is that of Chairman of PDP Board of Trustees (BOT) held by former President Olusegun Obasanjo while the North-East has nothing at the top having lost the deputy speakership of the House of Representatives.
Aside ministerial and other top political appointments, the North-East may produce the party chairman currently held by Dr Mallam Bello Haliru Mohammed (North-West) while the South-West gets the secretary occupied by Abubakar Kawu Baraje (North-Central).
Indeed, fielding questions from United Nations correspondents on Wednesday, President Goodluck Jonathan, said that the matter could still be redressed, even in the House, via sharing of other offices like minority leader and minority whip.
Given the country’s multi-religious and ethnic nature, he said the issue of zoning and spread of political offices always bred confusion hence the establishment of the Federal Character Commission (FCC).
His words: “To make sure that people don’t get angry over certain things, the Federal Character Commission was established very long ago. It was even during the military government that we came up with the Federal Character Commission to make sure that offices are spread. So, the PDP believes that whenever you elect the President, who comes with the Vice President, who would come from different zones, you spread other offices to the remaining zones.”
How zoning was butchered
The party was pushed to the precipice over zoning before the presidential polls, when a section of the North insisted that President Jonathan (South-South) should not run, to enable the North, which the PDP zoned the presidency, to produce the president following the death of President Umaru Musa Yar’ Adua. However, Jonathan insisted on his constitutional right to run and went on to win the polls, marking what some party stalwarts regard as the beginning of the end of zoning in the PDP.
In essence, the North (North-West in particular) lost the presidency. Before then, the South-East also lost the PDP chairmanship to the North-West when Dr Okwesieleze Nwodo was forced to resign and his deputy, Mohammed took over in an acting capacity.
After the polls, the PDP zoned the speakership to the South-West. An Obasanjo-inspired South-West PDP Caucus endorsed Rep Muraina Ajibola as its nominee for the post. Other zones especially the South-East and North-West opposed the move on the ground that only six PDP Reps were re-elected in the South-West, a paltry figure compared to the other five zones.
The party hierarchy and Presidency’s move to muscle their way through did not yield dividends as their nominee – Rep Mulikat Akande-Adeola was thoroughly trashed at the House of Representatives Speakership election last Monday where Tambuwal polled 252 votes to Akande-Adeola’s 90.
A jolted PDP leadership initially refused to congratulate Tambuwal for going against the party’s zoning formula and threatened to sanction him and Ihedioha. However, when the duo visited the national headquarters on Tuesday with apologies on their lips ‘for giving their leaders sleepless nights,” they were forgiven with a proviso that they would carry the party along in the appointment of other House principal officers, to ensure balance in the polity.
As a further step, the party leaders held a crucial meeting on Wednesday on the issue, where sources said the PDP might concede the position of national secretary to South-West and national chairman to the North-East.
According to a top member of the National Working Committee, NWC of the party, the national secretaryship hitherto zoned to the South-South might not go there any longer because the President and leader of the party, President Jonathan hails from the zone.
The source added that the party would let the North East have the position of national chairman of the party, even as they pressure Tambuwal to ensure that ‘’juicy’’ committees especially that of Appropriation gets to South-West with Akande-Adeola in consideration.
The issue has continued to raise dusts in the polity as the South-East geo-political zone strategise for 2015.
Gemade, Anyanwu, Ewuga,
Jimilehin speak
Among those, who spoke on the matter are Senators Barnabas Gemade, Chris Anyanwu, Solomon Ewuga and a chieftain of the PDP in the South-West, Chief Dipo Jimilehin.
Jimilehin said what was happening in the National Assembly might be part of ploys by the opposition to ridicule the PDP, adding that the party would respond appropriately to correct the balance.
Indeed, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the leading opposition party that controls the South-West backed Tambuwal. It has also backed Senator George Akume, who hails from Benue (North-Central) as minority leader as opposed to Senator Ganiyu Olarenwaju Solomon from Lagos (South-West). Senate President David Mark is from Benue.
Said Jimilehin: “What they did in the House of Reps is a ploy by opposition to weaken the PDP and paint it in bad light that PDP is unable to control its members. The President is leader of our party. The BOT Chairman, Obasanjo is from the South-West.
I am sure they would put heads together and correct the imbalance.” On his part, Gemade said, “in line with what is happening in the PDP especially as it affects the zoning formula, much more is expected to happen in the National Assembly, which has given the two leadership positions to the North in total disregard of the zoning formula. It therefore means that PDP should sit down and re-adjust in terms of other positions because the South-West has lost the speakership.
The North-East would also lose Deputy Speakership and the remaining positions should be re-adjusted to get to other zones.”
For Senator Solomon Ewuga of the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, with the way things had started in the National Assembly, there would be no dull moment because “the pace has been set for a vibrant National Assembly, which will be purposeful” and give the nation greater value.
On her part, Senator Chris Anyanwu of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), said with the trend of things, the shade of opinions would be more diverse as “more people will take positions against the grain of the mainstream. The interesting new dimension will force stronger efforts at higher accomplishment. It will simply be tragic if the supposed progressives fuse with the conservatives and then disappear. No, we need that diversity, that distinction that will bring the best out of the National Assembly.”
Igbo leaders strategise for 2015
In spite of getting the positions of Secretary to the Government of the Federation, occupied by Senator Anyim Pius Anyim and offices of the Deputy Senate President (Ike Ekweremadu) and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives (Ihedioha), Igbo leaders have not lost sight to producing the next president after Jonathan.
Hence, Igbo leaders are tasking Igbo appointees holding these offices including the office of the South-East Governors’ Forum, under the chairmanship of Mr. Peter Obi and the Ambassador Raph Uwechue-led Ohanaeze Ndigbo, as well as other political office holders in Igbo land, to position Ndigbo for 2015 and beyond. “With its current position in the present administration, the south-east has something to cheer.
But there is need to intensify efforts to ensure that more equitable positions due to the zone are secured in the allotment of ministerial portfolios,” an Igbo leader said.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo in its statement of October 15 2010 urging support for Jonathan was specific on the issue of the presidency coming to the South-East after the South-South “Ohanaeze Ndigbo firmly believes in the reality and absolute equality of the six zones and holds the view that the topmost executive office in the land – Prime Minister or President, which has eluded the two geo-political zones of the South-South and South-East since the birth of our nation half a century ago, should now go to them in turn in unbroken succession as a matter of national priority, before any other zone can justly claim the right to a second or even third turn.
In line with this position, taken after wide consultation over several months, among Igbo people at home and abroad, Ohanaeze Ndigbo confidently urges the Igbo Nation to support en masse a credible new-generation Presidential candidate that has emerged from the South-South geo-political zone, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan”.
Clearly, support for Jonathan was an end-product of the case for a federal character rotation of the office of the President among the six geo-political zones of our country.
Since Ohanaeze is a pan Igbo organization and is not involved in the internal decisions or programmes of political parties, South-East leaders are making plans to come to a round table to brainstorm and strategise on how to utilise the positions the zone occupies presently.
Today, the South-East has leaders in political offices that were not imposed on them; rather they chose them directly or indirectly.
For example, Igbo leader were asked by President Jonathan, to submit names of credible Igbo sons and daughters that would be appointed as SGF. It was from the list submitted by Ohanaeze Ndigbo following consultations with the governors and key Igbo leaders that Senator Anyim was appointed SGF.
This is a significant and healthy departure from the past when positions zoned to Ndigbo were filled by Igbos sponsored by outsiders and power brokers from other zones.
Source: Vanguard
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