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‘We insist on zoning’-Adamu Ciroma….calls
for release of detained
NPLF members
Newsdiaryonline Fri March 11,2011 (A press statement)
The Northern Political Leaders Forum met on Thursday, March 10,
2011 in Abuja and considered issues bordering on the peace,
stability and good governance of Nigeria. The Forum specifically
considered the views and suggestions offered by its members and
a very wide variety of well-meaning Nigerians on the forthcoming
general elections and resolved as follows:
a. That it remains committed to the unity, stability and good
governance of Nigeria and the peaceful co-existence of its
peoples regardless of sectional, ethnic and religious
affiliations. That it is only in an atmosphere of peace, trust,
sincerity and good faith that Nigeria as a young and fragile
federation can stabilize, thrive and develop to its full
potential.
b. That political leaders have a responsibility to insist that
the societies to which they belong and the political systems
within which they operate be built on enduring principles. They
must resist the temptation and the attraction of temporary
personal gain and ensure that their actions ultimately serve the
best interest of the people they purport to represent.
c. In the light of the above and regardless of the outcome of
the recent presidential primary elections, the Forum will
continue to stand on the principles it has espoused, i.e.
justice, equity and fairness to all, encapsulated in the
principles and practice of zoning and rotation of public offices
among the diverse peoples of Nigeria, as enshrined in the
Nigerian Constitution and in the constitution of the ruling
political party of today. It calls on Nigerians to seize the
opportunity of the forthcoming general elections to reestablish
and strengthen these principles in order to secure long term
peace, unity and political stability in the country.
The Forum was taken by surprise by the sudden invitation
extended to some members of its Secretariat by the Department of
State Security, which has led to their inexplicable detention
and called on the Federal Government to order their release
without further delay. The Forum was saddened by the fact that
just over a month to the general elections in April, an
atmosphere capable of promoting the freedom of the electorate to
choose their leaders was yet to emerge. It called on the
authorities concerned to give practical expression to the
oft-repeated commitment of the government to free, fair and
credible elections or risk reducing the exercise to an avenue
for the waste of public resources only to undermine the
legitimate aspiration of
Nigerians to make their votes count this time around.
Signed:
Adamu Ciroma
Madakin Fika
Abuja ,March 10, 2011
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