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New Page 9
Northern coalition backs
Ndigbo for 2007
JOHN SHIKLAM,
Kaduna
FURTHER
nationwide support for the drive for a Nigerian President of Igbo stock in 2007
came with a coalition of progressives in the 19 Northern states and the Federal
Capital Territory (FCT), declaring that it is the turn of
Ndigbo.
The progressives vowed to campaign against
any Northerner, who takes to the hustings in 2007, insisting that Igbo should be
allowed to rule the country from that year.
Last month, prominent Northern elder and
former Minister for Special Duties, Alhaji Wada Nas, said 2007 is Ndigbo’s
turn to produce the nation’s president and expressed support for same.
The Northern Progressive Elements who met
in Kaduna, maintained that Igbo should take their turn to lead the country in
2007, stressing that in order to ensure unity and stability, all the
geographical zones in the country be treated fairly in the country power
arrangement.
In a communique, the coalition frowned at
the attitude of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) maintaining that the
party is behaving as if it was the only political party in Nigeria.
The PDP, according to the communique
signed by the secretary of the group, Alhaji Nafiu Abbas and director of
publicity, Alhaji Khalid Umar, should not be the determinant of power equation
in the country.
The Nothern Progressive Elements further
maintained that it is totally wrong to treat the issue of power shift as an
exercise between the North and the South only because even the constitution
recognises the essence of geo-political zones in power-sharing.
"Even under military rule, there were
considerations, for geo-political zones in power-sharing, an arrangement that
brought persons like Ebitu Ukiwe, Augustus Aikhomu etc to power.
"The fears that anybody other than the
Hausa/Fulani, who becomes the president will bring about the disintegration of
the country, have been allayed by the Presidency of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo,
whose tenure has brought about unity and closer understanding amongst various
nationalities.
"The spirit of the gentleman agreement
which allowed power to shift to the South-West should be extended to the
South-East.
If injury was done to the people of the
South-West and President Obasanjo later emerged as compensation, then in the
spirit of equity, justice, fairness and social justice, which are the main
attributes of democracy, it will be fair enough to give the Igbo a chance to
produce the president," the communique said.
The group added that it is prepared to
mobilise against any Northerner who attempts to scuttle the chances of the Igbo
in 2007.
South-East state governors and Speakers of
Houses of Assemblies in the zone last week insisted that it is the turn of
Ndigbo in 2007.
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