Why I Didn’t Vote, by Yobe Gov

Written by This Day Thursday, 29 July 2010 05:22

Yobe State Governor Ibrahim Gaidam yesterday opened up on why he abstained from voting when the 19 Northern governors put the controversial zoning issue to vote at their meeting two days ago in Kaduna.
He said he declined to vote on zoning because the arrangement is entirely a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) affair and should be left to the party to decide whether it wants to respect it or not.

Gaidam, who spoke through his Director of Press Affairs Malam Abdullahi Bego, insisted that only the best candidates who can provide quality leadership should contest the 2011 presidential poll.
"The governor (Gaidam) believes firmly that the zoning debate is entirely a PDP affair and he's made that very clear at the Kaduna meeting. It is not a matter grounded in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It is a gentleman agreement of the PDP, and so the PDP should be left to decide whether it wants to respect it's arrangement or not as a party," he said.
Only the Yobe State governor abstained from voting at the Northern Governors’ Forum meeting, which was said to be very tense.
Ten governors - those of Sok-oto, Kebbi, Zamfara, Kwara, Niger, Kano, Borno, Katsina, Gombe and Jigawa -  voted that zoning must be maintained and that the agreement that the North should produce the president remains valid. 

The governors of Plateau, Benue, Taraba, Adamawa, Kaduna, Kogi and Nasarawa voted against zoning, saying the presidential race should be open to all Nigerians. Bauchi State Governor Isa Yuguda was absent at the meeting. His absence may not be unconnected with the death of the Emir of Bauchi.
Notwithstanding the votes, in a compromise position, the governors said in a communiqué at the end of the meeting that President Goodluck Jonathan is free to contest in 2011 and that zoning is purely a PDP affair.

The Yobe governor said the entire zoning debate, which many are dissipating their energies on, is not the solution to the myriad of problems facing the country.
According to Bego, "Governor Gaidam holds the opinion that power belongs to the Almighty God and He gives it to whosoever He wills. Therefore every Nigerian who is eligible has the right to vie for any elective position provided that the person can use his or her position to improve the socio-economic lot of Nigerians, namely improve electric power supply, provide security, infrastructure and eradicate poverty.

"What is needed therefore is credible, free and fair election, which respects the wishes and choices of Nigerians.”
Also, various stakeholders in Adamawa State have defended Governor Murtala Nyako over his stance on zoning.
Nyako was among the seven governors who supported the jettisoning of zoning during the Northern governors’ meeting.
In a statement made available to THISDAY yesterday, National Coordinator of Nigeria Democracy and Good Governance Watch, Dr. Sumaila Abdulkareem, described Nyako as a true and patriotic Nigerian who believes in the indivisibility, unity and progress of Nigeria.

“This is a democratic setting and everybody has a right to express his views and positions and this is exactly what Governor Nyako has done,” the statement added.
Elder statesman, Alhaji Tanko Yakasai, said the stand taken by the Northern Governors at their meeting over zoning and rotation policy was a victory for the North.
He said despite intensive lobby by pro-Goodluck Jonathan elements among them, the governors were resolute in their determination not to abandon their right to the presidency next year through zoning and rotational policy.

Yakasai, who spoke with THISDAY in an interview, said the decision represents victory for the North, adding that the governors did not sell their conscience or submit to intimidation and blackmail.
Meanwhile, despite being one of the governors who voted for the retention of zoning, Kano State Governor Ibrahim Shekarau has described zoning as purely a PDP problem, which other party stalwarts should not engage in.

According to him, when PDP initiated the idea of zoning in 1998, it was strictly a party affair, and it should remain as such.
“In 1998, the discussion on zoning was done behind closed-doors among PDP members so they should treat it the same way among themselves,” he said.
Speaking during an interactive session with journalists in Kano, Shekarau said any Nigerian can contest for any position in the country, adding that it is now left for the electorate to decide who they want to vote for.
“I joined the presidential race on that regard. I have resolved to aspire for the Nigerian presidential seat come 2011 to heed to several calls and agitations from friends, associates and other well wishers across the country,” he added.