Abuja — Governor Lucky Igbinedion's stand on the need for power to shift to the North in 2007 should be disregarded as the South-south is still in contest for the presidency, three Edo state politicians said yesterday in Abuja.

Igbinedion had last Thursday in Abuja said the South-south should jettison its quest for the presidency in 2007 to allow the North produce the next president in honour of a power shift agreement. "The people of Edo state remain completely committed to the achievement of the collective dream of the South-south geo-political zone to produce the next president of Nigeria in 2007," the three Edo political leaders said in a joint statement yesterday.

The statement was signed by former president of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), George Izobo, former Edo state legislator, Hon. Dauda Abu and former chairman of Owan-west local government, Barr. Johnson Abolagba. "The people of Edo state received the news with shock, and then disbelief because we all know th at Governor Igbinedion himself had earlier postured as a potential aspirant and so could not rule himself out of contention in such a cavalier manner," the statement said.

It added that the governor's remark should be regarded as a mere personal opinion because he "does not speak for the majority of Edo citizens." "Whatever agreements he entered into to exclude himself from the leadership of his country is binding on him and his family alone. It certainly has nothing to do with the people of Edo state or the South-south zone .

"For 46 years, no citizen of this country from the South-south geo-political zone which includes Edo state has ever been given an opportunity to run the affairs of this country, despite the fact that Nigerians from the South-south have excelled at everything they have been opportuned to do for this country," the statement said.