As the search for a truce in the face-off between President Goodluck Jonathan and the Alhaji Adamu Ciroma-led Northern Leaders Political Forum continues, there were indications yesterday of an impending meeting of prominent northern political leaders.
The said meeting, which a reliable source said would hold soon, is expected to feature ex-President Ibrahim Babangida, ex-Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, Gen. Aliyu Gusau and other members of the G-15.
The source in the NPLF, who spoke in confidence, said: "We are concerned about the committee’s decision on zoning and tenure. We want power back in the North in 2015 with a written agreement to back it.
"NPLF members in the seven-man committee have reported back to Ciroma but a meeting of the G-15 will be convened in the next few days to look at what Jonathan group is offering.
"It is too early to say whether the NPLF will enter into a deal with Jonathan or not. But we are excited that presidency will return to the North in 2015."
There were also indications yesterday that President Goodluck Jonathan and the Northern Leaders Political Forum are close to a deal if the two parties accept the recommendations of a seven-man panel they set up.
It was reliably learnt last night that the panel had made two significant recommendations bordering on the return of the presidency to the North in 2015 and one-term in office for the President.
Members of the panel are expected to go back to their principals to table the recommendations for discussion in the next one week.
But the President may hold talks with top traditional rulers in the North on March 9 on developments in the region and strategic matters.
Jonathan and the NPLF leaders had met last Friday in Abuja, following irreconciliable differences over non-adherence to the zoning policy by the ruling People’s Democratic Party.
Although the two parties discussed for two hours, they later decided to raise the seven-man panel to isolate key issues accounting for their differences.
Investigation by The Nation confirmed that the committee had arrived at some decisions which might make the April poll an easy ride for Jonathan in the North.
Some of the decisions are: the return of the presidency to the North in 2015; a term tenure for Jonathan; shelving ethnic and religious sentiments by the NPLF; mobilising the North to back Jonathan; and a written agreement to underscore the commitment of all parties to the peace terms.
A top source said: "These decisions have been sent to the two sides. The most sensitive is power shift to the North in 2015 because of a similar demand by the South-East.
"After studying the issues in question at a larger picture of the People’s Democratic Party, the leaders may also take a step further to ask the North to make a commitment to also spend four years in office.
"Why the President is amenable to negotiation is because of his determination to lay a solid foundation for power sharing among the ethnic groups without any further rancour."
Another source also said: "Given the number of votes being expected from the North, the President also could not toy with the NPLF leaders.
"So, the PDP prefers dialogue and amicable resolution of the zoning palaver to seal the fate of other parties, especially the Congress for Progressive Change in the North.
"As things are now, no one can rule out the possibility of a presidential re-run in April in view of the ethnic and religious dimensions the electioneering is taking."
It was also learnt that the President might meet with top traditional rulers from the North on March 9.
The source said: "The President will use the opportunity to discuss crucial developmental challenges facing the North with them, including child education.
"He might also use the opportunity to clarify that he is not anti-North. You can see that Jonathan is not leaving anything to chances.’’
The Nation
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