By Gbenga Olarinoye, Dayo Johnson, Ola  Ajayi &  Dapo Akinrefon
IBADAN—AHEAD of Saturday’s meeting of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in the South West, to take a common position on whether to support President Goodluck Jonathan in 2011, some leaders of the zone, yesterday, threw their weight behind the President’s ambition.

Former Governor of the old Oyo State, Dr Omololu Olunloyo, and Afenifere leader, Chief Reuben Fasoranti, endorsed the President’s ambition while founder of Odua Peoples Congress, OPC, Dr. Fredrick Faseun, however, urged Jonathan to look before he leaps.

PDP National Vice Chairman, South West, Alhaji Tajudeen Oladipo, said the zone would formally take a position on the issue, weekend.

Olunloyo told Vanguard that the best way to compensate the shortchanged people of Niger Delta was to allow President Goodluck Jonathan to contest and win 2011 election.

He said it would be quite unfair to deny Jonathan who is the representative of the people of the South-South to rule this country in 2011 after ruining their land through exploration of oil.

Olunloyo added: “A lot of people who are making hullabaloo about zoning are rich people whose riches cannot be traced to groundnut but oil which they got from the region. And for these  people to come round now and say no, would spell doom for the country.”

He reminded them not to forget the insurgence that the country witnessed in the past, stressing that it would be more disastrous to deprive them of their rights as Nigerians.

The former governor said: “Jonathan is a Nigerian and he is entitled to contest the election. He is already a substantive President, not by election, but through a joint ticket. If he now wants to come in through election, it is absolutely normal. Before now, three zones have been producing presidents and heads of state. And a zone believes it is always entitled to the throne.

“Somebody comes from the Niger Delta which you people have ravaged. You ruined their land by burning gases, and everything becomes poisoned. In the name of God, Ken Saro Wiwa, Asari Dokubo, let power shift to the Niger Delta. Power has even shifted and let it remain like that.

“Out of the three zones, a zone has produced President, Head of State who had spent nine and 11 years. They cannot be saying it is their turn again. Let us leave the zone which had not been there before. Jonathan is not representing himself but the people from the South South. Anybody who has conscience should know that power should shift to the Niger Delta.”

Also speaking, Chief Fasoranti, said that nobody should prevent President Jonathan from contesting the election as it was his right to complete the terms of the late President Umar Yar’ Adua.

He said: “President Jonathan is entitled to contest. I do not believe in this zoning arrangement it would not produce the best for the country. President Jonathan is entitled to his ambition. He is a citizen of this country and nobody should deprive him of his right to contest.

“Nigerians should support him so that he completes the terms of the late President. If we say zoning, this would shut out the best candidate and would not produce the best for the country. Other presidential candidates also have the right to contest against him. But nobody should say he should not contest. It is his right, and all these controversies are distractions.”

Asked if the socio-political group he leads supported his stand, Chief Fasoranti said he was speaking for himself but that the opinion of the group was not different from his.

Founder of Odua Peoples Congress, OPC, Dr. Fredrick Faseun urged Jonathan to look before he leaps

Fasoranti who said that the issue of zoning was the internal arrangement of the PDP, however, explained that the party should not make its internal problem that of the entire country.

On the ambition of the likes of Ibrahim Babangida, Atiku Abubakar and Muhammadu Buhari, the Afenifere leader said that he had nothing against them but that IBB and Atiku should forget their ambitions.

He said he was wondering what IBB was still looking for after leading the country for two terms adding that age was not on his side.

On Atiku, Fasoranti said he was surrounded by an hazy circumstances following his jumping from one party to the other in recent times. He advised Atiku to stay away from the race and allow others.
He advised Buhari to “try his luck.”

Fasoranti said the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, should be given a chance and allowed to carry out it duties as specified by the law and that they should given all it needed to conduct a free and fair elections next year.

On his part, Fasheun advised President Jonathan to assess his chances before declaring his interest, adding: “Jonathan has to study the ground before he puts out his neck. I think that is what he’s doing. He has to get the opinion of Nigerian leaders from all political zones and if the coast is clear, he will declare and if the coast is not clear, I think he will just serve and say thank you. The decision is entirely his, it’s not an advisory thing, nobody can advise him to contest and nobody can advise him not to contest.”

Meanwhile, the South West zone of PDP has said it would meet to take official stand on the contending issue relating to zoning arrangement of the party ahead of the 2011 general elections.

National Vice Chairman, South West, of the party, Alhaji Tajudeen Oladipo in a telephone interview with Vanguard in Osogbo said the zone would come out with its position on the issue.

He said it took the zone long time before it could make its position known on the issue because it had all this while been consulting with stakeholders in the party and eminent personalities in Yoruba land.

Oladipo said the zone did not make known its position on the issue because it would not like to rush into taking or making any pronouncement on the zoning arrangement of the party, despite the fact that some zones in the country have taken position on the issue.

He said: “The party in the South West would, on Saturday, make known our position on President Jonathan as regards the 2011 presidential election. Our position is coming after due consultations with the leadership and followership of the party in the six states of the zone as well as opinion leaders.

“All stakeholders in the South West geo-political zone were consulted where we deliberated on whether or not the zoning arrangement should stand. The wish of our members will prevail at the end of the day.”