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The Credible
Leadership Forum has condemned the rotational presidency system
practiced by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) saying it is
undemocratic and unconstitutional.

Ahmed Abdullahi,
the chairman of the group, said in Abuja yesterday that it is a
“democratic anathema” for anybody or group of people or a political
party to suggest that a qualified adult is not free to exercise his
constitutional right to seek election, based on his state of origin or
geopolitical zone.

Mr Abdullahi argued
that, with regards to the on-going debate about Goodluck Jonathan’s
chances in 2011, the president “as a Nigerian adult, is
constitutionally empowered to vote and be voted for.

“Goodluck Jonathan
has as much right to run for presidency in 2011 as the Nigerian voters
reserve the voting right to either vote him in or refrain from it,” Mr
Abdulahi said.

“Rotational presidency is not democratic. It is the arrangement of PDP,” he added.

Arguing along the
same lines, Nimi-Bariagha Amange (PDP Bayelsa State), a senator
representing the president’s home state, said that President Jonathan
was free to run for the presidency in the 2011 general polls.

Zoning is “unconstitutional”

Mr Amange, who
spoke to journalists at the Bridge Builders Forum, in Abuja, said that
the zoning formula adopted by the PDP is “unconstitutional and
undemocratic.” He added that zoning is also not recognized in the PDP
constitution.

“The constitution
is quite clear,” he said. “The constitution has never restricted
Nigerians to give vote to one particular area, person or religion.
People are confusing zoning with rotation. Zoning is like what we have
in the constitution, that is section 14 (2), federal character.
Permanent Secretaries are zoned, ministers are zoned.”

He said that Mr Jonathan has the constitutional right, like every other Nigerian, to seek election to any office in the land.

“The rotation is
that, if a president finishes his tenure, then the next president will
come from another area. That is the rotation we are talking about. Now,
Yar’Adua unfortunately did not finish his tenure and Goodluck is going
to finish his tenure. After that, since Yar’Adua is not here to take
his second term, automatically the north-west has completed its tenure.
That is what it means. So it should go to another area that has not
produced president before. That is the rotation that we are talking
about.

“Zoning is that immediately a president is elected, the other
positions are zoned. The vice president will not come from the same
zone with him, the Senate President will not come from the same zone
with him, and the Speaker will not come from the same zone with him.
That is zoning arrangement,” he added.