The Northern Elders Forum (NEF)
yesterday fired an early shot prelude to the 2015 presidential election with a
rejection of the contentious zoning formula to produce Nigeria’s next President.
Also, against the backdrop of
on-going review of the 1999 Constitution, the forum called for the dumping of
the “costly” presidential system of government.
And, the forum joined the clamour
for a review of the onshore-offshore oil dichotomy by northern governors who
hold the view that the formula has reduced the distributable funds from the
Federation Account to all tiers of government.
These were the fallouts of a
strategic meeting by the frontline northern political group on constitution
review and political positioning of the north held yesterday in Abuja. Other
members of the group that attended the meeting include Wanteregh Paul Unongo,
chairman, Mr Solomon Damlong, Mohammed Sani Katu and Barrister Musilim
Maigari.
Speaking to journalists on the
side-line of the meeting, spokesperson of the forum, Prof. Ango Abdullahi,
insisted that the 2015 presidential contest should be thrown open to all
regions of the country.
On the clamour for zoning
vis-à-vis power shift to the north in 2015, the forum’s spokesman said the
issue of zoning should be thrown away.
His words: “The contest should be
opened to a Tsekiri man, Uhrobo man or a Tiv man. The question of allocation of
position based on regions should be thrown away.
“The question is the issue of
politics as we understand it, particularly when it comes to elections.There are
rules for elections and the elections will be contested on the basis of those
rules.So let it be and that is what it will be in 2015.
On the political committee
inaugurated at the meeting by the convener, Alhaji Yusuf Maitama Sule, the
forum’s spokesman said the committee was charged with looking at the politics
of Nigeria and see how the North would fit into it.
Abdullahi, a former
Vice-Chancellor, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria, described Nigeria as “bad
copiers” of the presidential system of government as practised in the United
States.
He stated: “The adoption of the
presidential system of government is a major disaster to Nigeria. I have never
seen governance as expensive as what we have on ground today. Even if we are
copying the Presidential System from the United States, we are bad copiers of
the system that operates in the US.
“For example, a Senator in Nigeria
earns $1.5million while the President of the United States $400,000 a year. So
something must be wrong in the manner in which we understand the Presidential
System, especially if we are copying the United States.
“The cost of governance under the
Presidential System of government that we have today is three to four times
more than the Parliamentary System, which we threw away in 1979.”
On the onshore-offshore dichotomy
debate, the former university don described as “stupid” the insistence by
Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed
Adoke, that the matter was closed.
Abdullahi submitted: “I have heard
some stupid remarks from the Attorney General of the Federation.He said that
the debate on Onshore/offshore dichotomy is closed. By who?It is stupid for him
to say the debate is closed.
“Is he saying Nigerians have no
right to speak on issues? Isthe Onshore/Offshore dichotomy not a national
issue? He saidthe matter is closed;on what grounds?It is a matter of continuous
discussion and debate. He has no right to say that the matter is closed.”
Credit: Leadership
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