Adamu Ciroma is a man of great national stature for whom I personally have great respect. Many regard his years at the New Nigerian as the golden era of that newspaper, then mouthpiece of the North. An editorial in the New Nigerian of those days invariably represented the irreversible position of that region on any national issue.
And although, Ciroma went on to succeed in several other assignments, including that of Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria and as head of some federal ministries, it is his New Nigerian days that came to my mind as I read the letter he signed along with five other northern leaders, on the vexed issue of Dr Goodluck Jonathan's candidacy in the forthcoming primary of their party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). In logic and tone, the letter written for and on behalf of "Concerned Members" and addressed to party chairman, Dr Nwodo, it's a powerful reminder of the robust intellectual rigour of newspaper editorializing of those days.
I haven't always agreed with him, because even the most intellectual of us can sometimes resort to sophistry when we have interests to protect. And I'll cite just one painful instance when this giant developed clay foot. I am doing so also because it is relevant here.
Shortly after the June 12, 1993 was annulled by the Ibrahim Babangida regime, Ciroma was the lone "establishment" voice who had the courage to declare that M. K. O. Abiola "won the elections fair and square." But, citing ethnicisation of the crisis that followed the illegality, he subsequently drifted from opposition to the annulment to supporting it. I'll return to this presently.
Let's take excerpts from the letter under reference. According to the "concerned members," PDP put in place the "zoning policy," in Article7, section 7.2(c) of our Party’s constitution "in pursuant of the principles of equity, justice and fairness," and made it mandatory that it "be enforced by the appropriate executive committee at all levels."
They also pointed out that the policy was " enunciated and in fact reinforced by Preamble 2(c) of same constitution, which states in part that, ‘to create socio-political conditions conducive to national peace and unity by ensuring fair and equitable distribution of resources and opportunities, to conform with the principles of power shift and power sharing by rotating key political offices among the diverse peoples of our country... in the spirit of Federalism."
They recalled that the South benefited from this provision through the Obasanjo/Atiku presidency for eight years noting that: "At all times during the Obasanjo/Atiku ticket, the record reflects that it was Obasanjo from the SOUTH that our Party nominated as its Presidential
Indeed, at the end of Obasanjo/Atiku two term ticket, the Party rotated its Presidential and Vice Presidential tickets and zoned it to the NORTH and SOUTH respectively for the same two terms... the Party nominated Alhaji Umaru Yar’adua from the NORTH as it’s Presidential
candidate and Dr. Goodluck Jonathan from the SOUTH chosen by Yar’adua, as the Vice Presidential candidate. This tenure began in 2007 as the Yar’adua/Goodluck ticket. It was to end in 2015. Unfortunately, this two term tenure of NORTHERN Presidency was punctuated by the untimely death of President Yar’adua... mid way to the completion of the first term tenure. In strict obedience to the dictates of the Constitution of our country, Goodluck Jonathan was sworn in as President to complete the remaining years of the first term tenure".
Continuing, they said: "the first term tenure of the two term Yar’Adua/Goodluck ticket will soon come to an end. It is now time for our Party to conduct it’s primary elections to nominate it’s
Presidential and Vice presidential candidates for the second tenure of the two term tenure of Yar’adua/Goodluck ticket, which is expected to begin in 2011 and end in 2015... If we follow our Party’s practice and constitution, which we must, the Party must nominate a NORTHERNER as
our Presidential candidate and a SOUTHERNER as our Vice Presidential candidate because the existing Yar’adua/Goodluck ticket zoned to the NORTH not the SOUTH. To do otherwise would amount to injustice and the violation of our Party’s grundnorm ...The rotation of power to the NORTHERN zone is not personal to Yar’adua. It is for the entire NORTH... To our shock and dismay, although there are some individuals from the NORTH aspiring to earn the nomination of our Party to complete the second term of the NORTHERN ticket, the intention of
President Goodluck Jonathan to wrongly use the power of incumbency, to arm twist Party members, usurp, misappropriate and confiscate this NORTHERN ticket has now been confirmed... The evidence suggests that the Party leadership may be encouraging this infringement..."
Every fair-minded person will agree with the premise and conclusion of this northern leaders. And I do. Beyond that, however, I urge everyone to take appropriate notice of the following portions of the letter:
"... this constitute great danger to peace, security and stability of our country. We fear that if President Jonathan’s plot succeeds, it will divide and dislocate our beloved Party. It will also cause irreparable damage to the peace and oneness of our country. It will constitute an assault on reason and gross injustice to the North ...Above all, we are extremely worried that our Party’s failure to deliver justice in this matter, may ignite a series of events, the scope and magnitude of which we can neither proximate nor contain. The peace, stability and unity of our country are superior to the personal ambition of one man..."
I feel tempted to tell Ciroma & Co that "regionalising" an issue as national as who our president is invalidates their case as much as so called "ethnicisation" was said to invalidate Abiola's election. The threat of violence, hardly subtle here, more so!
But, I think we should listen to them, not out of fear; but because, as one wise man said, "nothing is ever settled until it is settled a-right."
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