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B N W: Biafra Nigeria World News

Sunday, July 25 2004 Search : Vol 17 No.30

News Opinion Features Sports Chic Columnists Faith Personage Magazine Interview Business Week Sunday Politics Ecowas Report Family Line 2007: North vows to fight on presidency: North vows to fight on MUHAMMAD KABIR, Kano THE quest for the 2007 presidency, and the tussle over which zone will produce it, has taken a new dimension. Minority leader in the Senate, Alhaji Usman Albishir told our correspondent that the 19 northern states have resolved to clinch the slot come 2007. He said no pressure from other zones will change that stand. Speaking exclusively to Sunday Champion in Kano, Senator Albishir insisted that power as represented by the presidency, must "rotate" back to the North. "It is not negotiable", he declared saying that the Northern power bloc only agreed to allow power to "shift" to the South in 1999 for a while. While admitting that rotation is undemocratic, he nevertheless said the North would take back the power it reluctantly "conceded" to the South in 1999. The emergence of a Southerner (President Obasanjo) in 1999, he explained, was to "settle scores" between the aggrieved South and the faulted North." "We agreed to hand over power to the South in 1999 because we believe that they (South) have been relegated in terms of leadership of the country and we did that not minding who took it, whether Igbo, Yoruba or Ibibio; so, now it is our turn after their eight years" he said. By his reckoning, the power shift was based on an understanding that the entire South would produce the president in 1999 "before moving back to the North." "It is our decision also for all Northerners including Middle Belt, on who ever to take power", Albishir said adding that having "unanimously surrendered" power in 1999, the North must have power back in its pocket. But he also said rotational presidency is faulty and undemocratic. Said he: "It is against democratic norms and values to allocate power, rather, the electorate are always the engine room of entrenching government mandates." Besides, it was too hasty to start campaigning for elective offices which elections are not due till 2007. Doing so, he said, "will easily distract from smooth governance." Senator Albishir, condemned speculations making rounds that All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) bigwigs, planned to massively decamp to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in preparation for 2007 presidential campaign during which they allegedly plan to support former military president, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida. He said, the speculation was "pure blackmail" against ANPP chieftains and against Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd). "But it has failed woefully, as we are still firmly in the party and we are not planning to opt out of it," he declared. On his reported ambition for Yobe State governorship in 2007, he noted "2007 is still very far, and everything is in the hands of God to decide who becomes governor of the state, what is required now is total support to the incumbent to succeed."

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