YOU ARE CONFUSED - GEJ TELLS BABANGIDA

The Goodluck/Sambo Presidential Campaign Organisation has described General Ibrahim Babangida (rtd) as confused over his claim that the Federal High Court, Abuja, had given a ruling on zoning and rotation in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that should be enforced by the party Chairman, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo.

To the organisation, such a ruling never exists. In a statement issued yesterday by the Director of Publicity, Sully Abu, it said that for over three months, the Malam Adamu Ciroma-led Northern Political Leaders Forum (NPLF) searched for a consensus candidate of a Northern extraction from among four aspirants including Babangida; Alhaji Atiku Abubakar; General Aliyu Gusau (rtd) and Governor Bukola Saraki of Kwara State.

“When Atiku Abubakar emerged as the consensus aspirant of the NPLF, IBB and two other aspirants accepted the verdict and pledged to give full support to the aspiration of Atiku. Now, IBB is singing a totally new song.”

Sully referred to a letter addressed to the National Chairman of the PDP, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, in which Babangida restated the existence of rotation and zoning in the party’s constitution, and urged the National Chairman to enforce the principle.”

He said that if Babangida and his cohorts had taken their time to read and understand the judgement, they would have seen that the judge, while accepting that zoning and rotation exists in the PDP constitution, declared that the provision was too vague to be enforceable.

He added that the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the PDP had already taken the same position as that of the Federal High Court judge. There is, therefore, nothing new to enforce. While zoning and rotation remain cardinal principles of the PDP, they, by no means, vitiate the right of any person, from any part of the country, to contest.

Sully said that the Goodluck/Sambo Presidential Campaign Organisation sympathises with Babangida’s predicament. “Having lost to Atiku in their so-called consensus arrangement, he must have been thrown into confusion and desperation at the prospects of an impending political oblivion. Clutching at the straw of zoning seems attractive to a drowning man. But regional jingoism is unsuited for a man who once held the highest office in the land.

“IBB should learn to live with his changing political fortune and not further diminish himself by playing games which only political novices should play. If he wants to go to another party, he does not need to blackmail anyone to do so. He should just go. The PDP has taken a decision on zoning and rotation. IBB can either live with it or leave the party.”

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