{"id":418273,"date":"2011-05-05T23:00:00","date_gmt":"2011-05-05T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.net\/2011\/05\/05\/zoning-ncentral-swest-get-senate-president%e2%80%99s-speaker%e2%80%99s-slots-%e2%80%a2seast-may-get-sgf-neast-chairman-pdp-%e2%80%a2coast-clears-for-david-mark-to\/"},"modified":"2011-05-05T23:00:00","modified_gmt":"2011-05-05T23:00:00","slug":"zoning-ncentral-swest-get-senate-presidents-speakers-slots-%e2%80%a2seast-may-get-sgf-neast-chairman-pdp-%e2%80%a2coast-clears-for-david-mark-to","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/05\/05\/zoning-ncentral-swest-get-senate-presidents-speakers-slots-%e2%80%a2seast-may-get-sgf-neast-chairman-pdp-%e2%80%a2coast-clears-for-david-mark-to\/","title":{"rendered":"Zoning: N\/Central, S\/West get Senate president\u2019s, Speaker\u2019s slots \u2022S\/East may get SGF, N\/East chairman, PDP \u2022Coast clears for David Mark to…"},"content":{"rendered":"
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|\u00a0Print\u00a0|<\/a>\u00a0E-mail<\/a><\/p>\n

Written by Taiwo Adisa, Abuja<\/span> Friday, 06 May 2011<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

THE zoning controversy which had been threatening to split members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) along regional lines appeared to<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

have been settled on Wednesday night, following a meeting between President Goodluck Jonathan and the outgoing President of the Senate, Senator David Mark, at the Obudu Ranch Resort, in Cross River State.<\/p>\n

President Jonathan had summoned Mark for a meeting at Obudu, where he was undergoing a seven-day retreat. The president returned to Abuja on Thursday evening.<\/p>\n

Sources close to the administration informed the Nigerian Tribune that the meeting between President Jonathan and Senator Mark was meant to assess the situation in the National Assembly after the general election and to also make some conclusions on the zoning issue.<\/p>\n

A source in Abuja told the Nigerian Tribune that the president had, earlier in consultations with leaders of the PDP, concluded on the need to retain the existing zoning arrangement.<\/p>\n

The decision was said to have been communicated to Mark, who was in Obudu for a meeting with President Jonathan.<\/p>\n

It was gathered that the party and the president had decided to ensure stability in the legislature by sticking to continuity, especially in the Senate, while the zone that produced the Speaker in 2007 (the South-West) would also be allowed to produce the new Speaker of the House of Representatives.<\/p>\n

Although the PDP had performed abysmally in the National Assembly elections in the South-West, returning only five members in the House of Representatives and one senator, it was gathered that the leadership of the party and the president decided to retain the Speaker\u2019s seat in the zone for the sake of national stability.<\/p>\n

Sources close to the administration also said on Thursday that President Jonathan assured Senator Mark that in view of his desire to stay in office for only one term, he would not want to create room for controversy in the National Assembly, whereby the success of his programmes could be jeopardised.<\/p>\n

It was further learnt that President Jonathan had told Mark to go back to the leadership of the party and the North Central zone to firm up his decision to recontest the position of Senate president.<\/p>\n

A source said the presidency had come to realise the enormous powers in the legislature and its strategic position in the success or otherwise of presidential democracy.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, it was learnt that some slight changes might occur in the configuration of the new executive and the National Assembly, in line with the realities, especially in the South-West.<\/p>\n

It was gathered that since the South-West did not have more than one senator, the position of majority leader earlier zoned to the region would be taken to the South-South.<\/p>\n

It was also gathered that the leadership of the PDP has been mandated to enter into talks with leaders of the respective geopolitical zones, who had been agitating for one position or the other.<\/p>\n

The president was said to have given the direct charge to the acting national chairman, Dr Haliru Mohammed, who was charged to ensure party loyalty and discipline.<\/p>\n

The retention of the zoning arrangement appeared to have cleared the coast for outgoing Senate president to retain his position in the new Senate.<\/p>\n

Mark became the first Senate president in the current democratic era to complete a four-year tenure on the seat when he assumed office in 2007.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the South-East zone is said to have been penciled in for the position of Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), which is currently held by Alhaji Yayale Ahmed from the North-East.<\/p>\n

If that materialises, the North-East may take the position of the chairman of the PDP from March 2012.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

See original here:
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