The group, Goodluck Jonathan for Nigeria 2011 and beyond, noted that the action by the Northern leaders was capable of worsening the North-South dichotomy as it promotes regionalism and ethnicity against the most desired nationhood.
According to the text of the news conference addressed by Engr. Charles Ezeani, the group’s chairman for the FederaL Capital Territory (FCT) and made available to Sunday Trust at the weekend, the action of the Ciroma committee is a retrogressive development in the nation’s quest to be a united and indivisible nation.
He said “it is lamentable that 50 years after independence, some unpatriotic and reactionary elements masquerading as Northern leaders are dragging the nation backwards because of their selfish design to wield power. These crop of ethnic jingoists have held Nigeria hostage, destroyed our quest for progress and innovation. Malam Ciroma has worsened the North/south divide by his action”
The group said the hullabaloo over zoning was unnecessary because at independence in 1960, the founding fathers settled for a federal structure with three regions –East, North and West. He added that “sadly, we regard the clamour to rotate the presidency in the PDP between North and South as a carryover of Lord Lugard’s evil and selfish amalgamation of Nigeria in 1914”
Ezeani maintained that “this needless campaign by Malam Adamu Ciroma and his disciples does not fit into our model of building a united and prosperous Nigeria based on justice and equity. In 1963, following a constitution amendment, a fourth region –the Mid- west) was added. Subsequently Nigeria was divided into six geo-political zones to ensure peace, unity, fairness and justice”
According to them, the whole idea of a consensus makes Atiku Abubakar, a sectional and parochial politician; saying that “what we need now is a pan Nigerian leader, a leader who has risen above tribe and religion and that leader is Goodluck Jonathan. Our nation would not be a cannon fodder of ethnic bigots whose only stock-in-trade is how to feather their own nest”.
