2nd July, 2010
Former Governor of Plateau State and erstwhile PDP National Chairman,Chief Solomon Lar, former Information Minister, Jerry Gana , Barnabas Gemade and other prominent politicians of northern extraction stormed Kaduna Government House venue of the Northern Governors’ Forum meeting yesterday to lobby the governors to dump zoning idea.
According to information gathered , though the northern governors seemed divided over zoning the presidency to south with President Goodluck Jonathan contesting as president, the northern elders want them to dump the zoning to avoiding over heating the polity.
The group led by Senator Isaiah Balat went into a closed door meeting that lasted for almost two hours with the governors. From what P.M.NEWS learnt, they tried to convince the northern governors under the leadership of Niger Governor, Babangida Aliyu to accept Jonathan as president come 2011 in the interest of unity and stability of the country.
However, another group led by Iyorcha Ayu which also went into the same closed door meeting insisted on zoning .
Ayu, who spoke to news men on behalf of the pro-zoning agitators after the meeting , said PDP and Nigerians should respect the zoning arrangement.
“Allow the North to complete its tenure and power can then return the south,†Ayu stated.
—Adi Femi/Kaduna