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The Goodluck/Sambo Campaign
Organisation has berated former vice president Atiku Abubakar for
allegedly continuing with his campaign of calumny against Goodluck
Jonathan, despite the president’s clarification on the controversial
zoning arrangement adopted by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The organisation stated this in
reaction to a statement credited to Mr Abubakar that the president
could not be “trusted with the PDP mandate in 2011” because of his
interpretation of the party’s position on zoning.

A settled matter

Mr Jonathan had
last Monday declared that the ruling party never zoned the presidency
to any part of the country. He spoke at the PDP headquarters after
submitting his nomination forms to the leadership of the party.

“The Goodluck/Sambo
Campaign Organisation has noted that in spite of President Goodluck
Jonathan’s clear articulation of the issue of zoning and the decision
of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on the matter, former Vice
President Abubakar has continued his campaign of calumny aimed at
impugning the character and integrity of the president,” a statement by
the director of media and publicity, Sully Abu said.

It said that Mr
Abubakar’s comment on the president’s personality was rather curious
given his own antecedents and the fact that he was only recently
admitted into the PDP after long running battles with his local Adamawa
State chapter of the party.

The organization
said the PDP zoning issue has been resolved by the party, just as it
enjoined all its loyal members to respect that position and stop using
it as a diversion from tackling the real issues that affect the
Nigerian people.

The organisation’s
spokesperson said that the decision was a product of a meeting held in
Abuja yesterday by the zonal coordinators of the Jonathan/Sambo for
President Campaign.

Those at the
meeting presided over by Dalhatu Tafida, the organization’s director
general were: state governors: Liyel Imoke of Cross River; Isa Yuguda
of Bauchi; Gbenga Danile of Ogun; and Gabriel Suswam of Benue.

A former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chibudom Nwuche, was also in attendance.