2015: No force can stop North, says ACF

2015: No force can stop North, says ACF

 

• “As far as the North is concern, we never consider the constitution to be the problem, we will continue to maintain that the America’s constitution is two pages.

• ACF said the South East agitation for state creation has no basis calling on the region to present a genuine case rather than being sentimental. 

• 2015: No force can stop North, says ACF
  
  The Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, has declared that the region would actualise its 2015 presidential ambition without the dead zoning policy saying Northerners have learnt their lessons. ACF said apart from the region’s numerical strength, the North would build political bridges with southerners to actualise the ambition of a northern president come 2015. ACF National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Anthony Sani, in interview with National Mirror yesterday in Kaduna said the north is not afraid to run for the presidency without zoning. 
  
  He said: “We have an edge in population right from the time of colonial era. If the north decides that they want the president in 2015, the north can get it. It is a matter of collective decision; the ball is in the court of northerners. If they feel like fielding a candidate and are ready to support him, the candidate will naturally win. But if they are divided they will not get it. Northerners have learnt the lessons of bring divided. 
  
  “The zone will get it through democracy. It will also make friends with southerners; southerners too will make friends with northerners; that is how it will be. It is not going to be block votes from the north, likewise south too. Our aim is not to divide the country but make friends with the south to make it. 
  
  “North insisted on zoning, but Nigerians passed their judgement in the 2011 elections by voting President Goodluck Jonathan. We went and congratulated Mr. President on his victory, you media reported that the north said they will make country ungovernable for President Goodluck Jonathan and we said no, the north cannot do that. 
  
  “Let me tell you, the north will contest the 2015 presidency, but it cannot be on the basis of zoning. It is going to be proper democracy. Why would Northerners fear to go into proper democracy without zoning as Nigerians want? What will be the reason why the north will be afraid to go for the 2015 election without zoning? North can get the Presidency too without zoning; Nigerians have told us that there is no need for zoning again.” 
  
  ACF said the South East agitation for state creation has no basis calling on the region to present a genuine case rather than being sentimental. 
  
  “As for the case of the Igbos in South East, you can as well say the Tiv should split into five states, you don’t create state purely on parity, it takes landmass and population into account. You can’t just go and create state on the bases of tribe. If it is base on tribe, I can equally say my tribe should have twenty states. If they have a good case on the demand for more states, they should make it, but not to say because the north has this, then the South East must have that. That is not the issue. 
  
  “We don’t see any need to create state again actually. States are not created on the basis of sentiment let them tell us which state in the North which has no landmark, population, from 1911 up till today there was census even census under former president Olusegun Obasanjo, South keep on telling us that there are ghosts, there trees been counted, former president Obasanjo came and did it, president Goodluck Jonathan did it in the last registration the North has forty two thousand million voters, South has thirty one thousand million voters. For example like Bayelsa state in the South there is compromise because it has only eight local government councils” 
  
  On the proposed constitutional amendment, ACF said the Nigerian constitution has no problem saying that the America has only two page constitution “As far as the North is concern, we never consider the constitution to be the problem, we will continue to maintain that the America’s constitution is two pages. Our own position all along has been there is nothing really wrong with the constitution.