Nigeria - North-West Reps lay claim to vice president slot

Tuesday, 11 May 2010 01:23 Horatius Egua
…Jonathan moves to new office, receives Gambian VP, Ume-Ezeoke, others
The North-West caucus in the House of Representatives on Monday insisted on the appointment of the vice-president from the zone.

Following the death of President Umaru Yar’Adua on May 5, the position of vice-president became vacant. Bashir Kazaure (PDP-Jigawa), chairman of the North-West caucus in the House of Representatives, who gave this indication while briefing newsmen, called on President Goodluck Jonathan to be guided by the principles of equity and fairness in selecting his deputy.
“It is in this wise that we humbly call on Mr. President to consider the North-West as the natural zone for the selection of the vice-president of the country. “It is only fair and just that a person from the North-West be selected to fill the vacant position of vice president,” he said.
He said that the intense scheming to sideline the zone was condemnable and would portend danger for the unity of the North in particular and Nigeria in general as it would endanger the geopolitical equation in the country. “The current intense scheming to upstage the North-West in the race for the vice-president position is unfair, we urge the president to do the right thing.
“The North-West should be considered for the position of vice- president, anything to the contrary would amount to shutting out the zone from the centre of power in the country and it will not be in the strategic interest of Mr. President,” he said.
Kazuare maintained that it was just to select the vice-president from the zone as the late President Umaru Yar’Adua who hailed from the zone could not complete his tenure before he died. He reiterated the caucus’ support for President Jonathan and commended him for the bold steps taken so far to steer the country to the path of progress and development.
Farouk Lawan (PDP-Kano), who is also a member of the caucus, said that the call for selecting the vice-president from the zone was borne out of the realities in the political situation in the country. He stressed that it was only fair and equitable to zone the position to the North-West while saying that the caucus had no particular candidate in mind as the president decides who occupies the position.
Meanwhile, inside sources told BusinessDay on Monday that Isa Yuguda, present governor of Bauchi State and son-in-law to late President Yar’Adua is now a top contender to the office of the vice president. The source said that President Goodluck Jonathan’s kitchen cabinet and top People’s Democratic Party (PDP) big wigs as well as political advisers are well disposed toward the candidature of Yuguda because of his loyal disposition.
“I think of all the candidates been bandied about as possible replacement for Jonathan, Yuguda carves the correct picture of a potential candidate. He is going to be a very loyal person and one who is unlikely to rock the political boat,” the source said.
The source, who spoke to BusinessDay on condition of anonymity, said “this is not the time to get distracted from facing the real issue of governance and any slight miscalculation over a sitting vice president can cause a lot of problems for the entire political structure. Carefulness is the word to adopt in this matter”. Speaking further, the source said the likes of Gusau, Ahmed, Sule Lamido, governor of Jigawa State and Mutari Shagari, deputy governor of Sokoto State are people who cannot be content with being vice president.
President Goodluck Jonathan also on Monday formally resumed in his new office at the Presidential Villa, Abuja as the 14th president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Jonathan, who arrived at the Presidential Villa through the vice presidential entrance at about 10a.m drove straight to his former office and moments later he was escorted by some of his senior aides and security details to the presidential office.
Obioma Onwuzurumba, the Villa chaplain offered prayers at the office before Jonathan eventually sat down on the presidential seat at the brief ceremony witnessed by Yayale Ahmed, secretary to the government of the federation (SGF); Aliyu Mohammed Gusau, national security adviser (NSA); Ima Niboro, senior special assistant on media and publicity and other presidential aides.
His first assignment of the day after taking over at the presidential office was the hosting of visiting Gambian vice president, Isatou Njie Saidy, who was in Nigeria for a condolence and solidarity visit. Jonathan also received the national chairman of All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Edwin Ume-Ezeoke and some National Assembly members who came on a solidarity visit.

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