12th October, 2010
Vice President Namadi Sambo was in Kaduna his home state at the weekend to discuss and beg some prominent PDP northern leaders in the state to accept President Goodluck Jonathan as the party’s flag bearer in forthcoming 2011 elections despite zoning arrangement in the party.
Though it was not clear whether the those he discussed with at the Alimi Road Government Lodge harkened to his pleas, the appeal P.M.NEWS gathered became expedient due to the overt continuous rejection of President Jonathan by some northerners who insist that the zoning arrangement must be respected.
The north is insisting that it must complete the 8-year tenure short-lived by the death of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua , thus their resolute stance against Jonathan .
However, there are indications that the VP is mapping out strategies to prevail over the pro-zoning supporters to accept Jonathan to run ,despite the zoning arrangement . More so, that he represents northern ticket as VP.
Sambo who was in Kaduna on Saturday to commission the Jonathan/Sambo 2011 Campaign Office became apparently disappointed at the poorly attended commissioning ceremony . It was at this point that he got the signal that all is not well with his northern brothers. He therefore cancelled his initial journey back to Abuja for an emergency meeting with caucus of PDP members in the State on Sunday .
From what P.M.NEWS gathered that the meeting like any other one held on the same issue did not yield positive result . It was the same song of “ Jonathan can contest but zoning must remain†an indication that the north is bent on fielding its own as president .
When media men secured entrance into the Alimi Road venue of the meeting , the VP declined to speak but thanked them for supporting Jonathan and him in their bid to provide Nigerians with dividends of democracy.
—Femi Adi