President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday rued his inability to push through the election of a South West member as the Speaker of the House of Representatives in line with the zoning arrangement of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Speaking at the Yoruba Unity Summit organised by the Yoruba Unity Forum at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State, Jonathan blamed individual interests of some politicians for scuttling the process.
Explaining the zoning formula of his party, he said: “I always say it. One of the problems I face in the National Assembly is that I feel the right thing should be done because our party, the PDP, has a formula.
“We have six geo-political zones in the country and when the president emerges from one of the geo-political zones, the vice president emerges from another geo-political zone.
“The rest core offices, the senate president, the speaker, secretary to the federal government and the chairman of the party must come from different geo-political zones.
“The idea is that, whenever we are distributing board positions and some of these appointments, these people sit to take decisions.
“Whenever we are appointing ministers, all these people sit to take decisions. In that case, we want all the geo-political zones to be in the inner caucus that take critical decisions.
“The last time, it was difficult for me because I insisted that the south west must get the speaker. Of course, I couldn’t go through with it because some of us within the south west didn’t want it based on some personal reasons.
“I am still suffering from that till today. That is one of the reasons that the leaders said, this time around, we must work collectively so that whatever position is zoned to the south west, we should get that position. People should not rob it from us,” he added.
The President said the occasion was an opportunity for him to salute the collective spirit of the Yoruba people that have seen them play critical roles at every important junction in the history of Nigeria.
He recalled that it was mainly the agitation of the south west that led to the convening of the National Conference and assured that the recommendations of the conference will be implemented.
He said: “I have said it and I will say it again. We will implement the recommendations. The political environment now is not too conducive for certain good things to be raised because of partisan interest. People are ready to even kill.
“I wouldn’t want to play with that document that our great men and women, our egg heads took time to form. I believe the whole context will be taken by government. So, we will surely implement it.” he stated.
The gathering, he said was “not just about the unity of the descendants of Oduduwa, but a clarion call on Nigerians to embark on a path to seek accommodation and build consensus.”
He challenged all to come together in harmony and articulate differences with a view to arriving at a formidable national consensus to give the nation a more robust vision and energy to confront the rest of the world.
He said with love, understanding and respect for one another, there is no obstacle Nigeria cannot surmount, saying “with unity, we can go to the moon.”
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