Aug. 17, 2013
Former Petroleum Minister, Prof. Jibril Aminu, has faulted the zoning of elective positions by political parties in the country.
Aminu, who spoke with journalists yesterday in his Yola residence, stated that those supporting the idea are not well-informed about the country’s constitution.
He further described them as enemies of democracy.
“Elected offices, be it President, governor or councilor, are open to all Nigerians. What we should be championing is merit and leadership qualities of those seeking to occupy elected offices, not where the person comes from. Zoning is a political weapon of people without integrity, track record and politicians that only want power to empower their family members,” he said.
Aminu, who urged Nigerians to reject zoning and vote for candidates who are capable of freeing them from poverty, insisted that zoning will do no good to democratic governance.
A former Senate Committee Chairman on Foreign Affairs also faulted the conditions given by five northern People’s Democratic Party governors to President Goodluck Jonathan.
He said, asking Jonathan to drop his plan to contest the 2015 polls and call for resignation of the National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, were unserious demands.
Aminu described them as “tourists” and have no powers to dictate to their states or Nigerians.
“The five governors have only five votes; so they cannot even decide who becomes a Councillor even if the five of them are all from one ward. So, talking of Presidency is not only a huge joke, but a public demonstration that they are not serious people and Nigerians should be watching them as Nollywood actors,” he said.
On the crisis rocking the Governor’s Forum, he accused the governors of spending public funds on the stand-off, saying the time being wasted on the issue could have been used to improve the lives of their people.
“If you were chairman of the Governor’s Forum, would you take what belongs to another state or will you collect percentage from the federal allocation to other states? It is sad that our governors are paying more attention to the activities of an unconstitutional association”, he posited.
Tukur had on Monday, while addressing a press conference after his return from the lesser Hajj, said the party leadership would be “waiting to hear from them after they conclude their mission.”
The five northern Governors are Governors of Niger State – Babangida Aliyu; Adamawa State – Murtala Nyako; Sokoto State – Aliyu Wamakko; Jigawa State – Sule Lamido and Kano State – Rabiu Kwankwaso.
The chairman at the briefing warned that the way the governors were going about their “mission” was not in the best interest of the country, advising them to use better ways to express their grievances.
