Adamawa: Danger of zoning governorship to stop Ngilari

There is a saying that “those who live by the sword, die by the sword.”  This depicts the politics now playing out in Adamawa state, a state that is captured partly by the Boko Haram sect. The Adamawa political chessboard betrays the interference of a cabal that control its affairs from Abuja to the detriment of the people of the state. NASIR DAMBATTA writes

Since the return of democracy in 1999, Adamawa took off on a controversial ground due to the activities of these cabals and the ghost is still haunting the state. Former vice President Atiku Abubakar was elected as the governor, but before his swearing-in, he was appointed the vice president to his present political enemy Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. There was a legal question that the cabal caged and it was not answered. The question was if a man is elected in an office is he constitutionally recognized as the holder of that office or it is when he takes oath of office? Mr. Boni Haruna, the current Minister of Youth Development, as Atiku’s deputy, took over and spends two terms of eight years in office. Atiku and Haruna are not from the same senatorial zone; Haruna is from the northern zone and Atiku is from the southern zone. If zoning is a constitutional provision enshrined in the country’s constitution, Haruna would not have taken over as governor, but Atiku’s zone would produce another candidate for the office of the governor.
The case of President Goodluck Jonathan and his former boss late Alhaji Musa Yar’Adua as another good example that zoning is not a constitutional provision, but it is one of the tactics of a group of people who feel that they detect for Nigerians who will be their leader at any level.
The politics of zoning resurface in Adamawa last week after several years of the same  cabals picking candidates for elections without primaries or those candidates not being members of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP). Renewed calls for zoning started last week when an amalgamated group of over 70 different organisations fused together and purchased a governorship form for Governor James Bala Ngillari.
A group of an unregistered organisation called former Adamawa state governorship aspirants last week issued a press statement in Abuja stating that there was a purported agreement that the governorship should be zone to central zone, so Ngillari who is from northern zone is not eligible to contest.
Alhaj iAbubakar Jada ,a top PDP stakeholder in the state did not only dismiss the position of the former governorship aspirants, but added that the aspirants were not properly informed or educated on the issue they are advocating in the media.
“It is unfortunate that selfish interests make educated people become blind and deaf, I was part of that agreement. The agreement was not about zoning, the agreement was that any aspirant that participated in the 2014 governorship by-election will not participate in the 2015 governorship election,” he said. Jada stated that if zoning was part of the agreement Dr. Mohammed Modibbo, who is from central and other aspirants, would have not been allowed to run, only aspirants from southern zone where the ousted governor Murtala Nyako hails from would have been cleared for the poll.
Senator Silas Jonathan Zwingina, in a recent press conference, said that zoning halts the growth of democracy and that it denies the electorate their rights to choose the leader of their choice and that it is only voters that can use their votes to zone positions not individuals hiding under party rules to smuggle themselves into power to the detriment of voters.
“People want short cut to power, this is because they know that they are not popular to win elections, anybody that has the support of his people will not think of zoning, for me zoning is not too bad, but it should not be placed above merit,” he said.He said that for democracy to grow everybody that wants to contest elections should not discriminate on the undemocratic ground that the position has been zone to another place.
A renowned political analyst and PDP chieftain in Adamawa state, Alhaji Sule Jautu Kefas, said that if the national leadership of PDP bowed to the pressure of the people he called “Adamawa seven unwise men” operating in Abuja using the President’s name the party will incurred the wrath of the electorate and it will lose all the elections in the state.“If 100 people feel they are qualified to win the governorship of
Adamawa state they should contest, what we want is the best, we did zoning in 1999 from Atiku to Haruna and Nyako, but the result is not good for us; so, this time no zoning; we want the best; merit is now the centre point in Adamawa. So, those clamouring for zoning should either prepare themselves for contest or quit the race.”
He argued that if zoning is in PDP constitution it should be practiced in all PDP control states. It should not be selective as some advocators of zoning want it in Adamawa state. “What is good for goose is also good for the gander, since the return of democracy in 1999 in Kogi state there is no zoning, only Igalas from one zone are ruling the state and it is a PDP state. Since the return of democracy in 1999 there is no governorship zoning in Benue state and it is PDP, Bauchi state, Rivers state, Cross Rivers and many other PDP control states. So, no one or group of individuals can think that they will impose their relatives or drivers on the people of the state hiding under zoning. We will resist with the last drop of our blood, all Adamawa sons and daughters that want to contest should come out and contest,” he said.
The Adamawa state chairman of PDP, Chief Joel Madaki ,recently said that with the coming of Ngillari as governor, the former agreement of the party with aspirants did not only collapsed, but that is void and a nullity, it has no effect again in the politics of Adamawa PDP.
“Our agreement with governorship aspirants cannot be respected again because Ngillari who is the Governor now was not part of that agreement, so how can you force him to obey an agreement he did not agree to obey or sign. Secondly, the agreement was for 2014 governorship by-election and not 2015, so people that are talking of agreement are only misleading themselves, my appeal to them is that they should prepare for contest if they are interested.  I cannot shelve the people of Adamawa’s head in their absent, let them decide who to govern them in 2015.”
An amalgamated group called Mass Progressive Movement (MPM) last week purchased governorship nomination form  for Ngillari which the has now reawaken the calls for zoning. While commending the Ruling People’s Democratic Party national leadership over its transparency and fairness to all members of the party, the leader of the group Arch. Lawrance Ngbale, told the National Organising Secretary of the party,
Alhaji Abubakar Mustapha, that the decision of the different groups to buy governorship form or Governor Ngillari was due to his deserve to provide quality leadership to the people of the state. He said that Ngillari was not only the governorship candidate that can bring total victory to PDP in the state, but that he is a symbol of unity, development, justice and rule of law. I want to inform you that Ngillari did not contribute one kobo to this money that we use to pay for this governorship form, it is the contribution of over 70 different groups that fused together that we their representative is today buying this form.”
“This is a clear indication that if a leader is not corrupt, people know; politics is a game of the majority, so a cabal cannot over rule the decision of the majority because they find themselves in certain positions. If Ngillari is good to be deputy governor for over seven years, what is the reason that he is not good to be governor? Those that think Ngillari is good as a senator, the people of Adamawa said that he is much better as governor.”
Ngbale who recalled how a cabal wanted to stop President Goodluck Jonathan from taking over as president after the dead of Alhaji Musa Ya’adua, pointed out that it was the decision of majority of Nigerians that the cabal was disgrace from executing their plans to stop Jonathan. “On behalf of this group I want to assured PDP and President Goodluck Jonathan that with Ngillari as the candidate of PDP for governorship,the president should not come to Adamawa for campaign, the leastnumber of votes he will get from Adamawa is 1.5 million votes. This isbecause they people of the state irrespective of their religion,ethnic group have united for Ngillari who we all see as the centre of harmony in the state.”
In her comments, the representative of women group, Mrs. Framau Simon, said that Adamawa women are not only in total support of Ngillari, but that PDP in the interest of good government and the future of Adamawa children should support Ngillari to win the election.  She said that women are the worse victims of any maladministrationand that Adamawa women has seen Ngillari as the only person that has the leadership qualities to rescue the people of the state from theclaws of poor government.
While welcoming the group, the organising secretary [Mustapha] urged the Adamawa PDP to work as one unit to ensure victory for the party inthe state.  He expressed delight over the action of the people of the state tocome together and unite for a candidate they feel has the key to theirjoy.
Mustapha said that PDP as a party will continue to support all itsmembers that want to contest elections on the platform of the party.
The Adamawa PDP is now in a dilemma; it will either bow to thepressure of the Abuja cabal and loses Adamawa state or go with theelectorate and win the state.  The battle line is now drawn between Adamawa voters and Abuja cabal. Investigations revealed that Atiku’s All Progressives Congress (APC) is supplying political arms to theAbuja cabal bearing in mind that if the cabal wins the Adamawa voters in PDP it will be an easy task for APC to win the state.
The question begging for answer now is will PDP national secretariatsacrifice Adamawa to a few individuals interest at the detriment ofthe party’s victory?This question will be answered on November 29, this year, which is the D-day.