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The Jigawa State
governor, Sule Lamido, on Wednesday, dismissed the resolution of the
Arewa Consultative Forum, which criticised the recent People’s
Democratic Party presidential primary election that produced President
Goodlcuk Jonathan as the candidate of the party. The national working
committee of the ACF met in Kaduna on Tuesday during which it rejected
the emergence of Mr. Jonathan as the PDP flagbearer in the April 9 poll.

According to the
communiqué, “In particular, ACF is disappointed with the outcome of the
primary elections in the ruling party, the PDP. The emergence of Dr.
Goodluck Jonathan as its presidential candidate is legally and morally
wrong because it is a violation of that party’s constitution which
clearly requires that under the zoning/rotation formula, a northerner
be returned as candidate in the 2011 general elections.

“In this regard,
and in the light of its principled stand on fairness and rule of law,
the ACF rejects the outcome of PDP presidential primaries.”

But speaking with
journalists at the PDP national secretariat in Abuja, Mr. Lamido said
there was no fear about the resolution of the northern organisation,
saying it is free to meet and make observations on national issues.

According to him, there are over 60 parties in the country and every party cannot clamour for a northern president as ACF.

“They (ACF) are
free to meet and discuss like Ohaneze Ndigbo or Afenifere,” Mr. Lamido
said. “There are 60 parties in the North so there can’t be 60 parties
all clamouring for the North. They can meet, they can advise, there is
no problem. There is no fear over anything. Just relax, stop getting
worried.”

Like Mr. Lamido,
the governor of Bauchi, Isa Yuguda said that the ACF had the right to
meet just like the Ohaneze and Afenifere. Mr. Yuguda also stated this
in Abuja while answering questions from journalists at the PDP National
Secretariat.

“ACF has the right
to meet just like Ohaneze and Afenifere; they are free to do that,” he
said. “Nigerians should stop getting worried over these things. We went
through a civil war and came out still united. It can’t get worse than
that.

“There is no cause
for worry; these things are about your future and we will secure your
future. Nigeria is a country united by God,” Mr. Yuguda said.

Be warned

According to the
Citizens for Change and Advancement (CCA), the ACF should be warned
against actions and statements that could tear the nation apart, saying
what Nigeria needs now is peace and unity.

Its national
coordinator, Maxwell Abaji, in a communiqué issued, said: “Nigerians
should condemn any attempt to drag this country to another civil war.”

Another group, the Media for Ethnic Equality, in a statement issued
in Lagos yesterday by its publicity secretary, Iyiola Johnson,
described the ACF’s statement as “an unnecessary heating up of the
polity by the northern political group for selfish reasons.” It also
criticised the ACF for putting the unity of the nation in jeopardy.