Kaduna — Discordant tunes among the political elite in the Southern part of Kaduna state, is again, posing a serious threat to their quest to produce the governor of Kaduna state come 2011.

Since the democratic dispensation, Southern Kaduna, a predominantly Christian populated area with over 200 hundred ethic groups have been agitating for powershift to the area, however, divisive tendencies, occasioned by alleged lack of cooperation among the political elite had in recent times made their dream to produce the governor of Kaduna state wishful.

The current controversy that is now causing division among politicians in the area is whether the area should produce the governor in 2011 or support the present governor of the state, Mohammed Namadi Sambo and wait for its turn in 2015.

Going by the arrangement of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state the governorship position is to be rotated among the three senatorial zones in the state, namely the Northern, Central and Southern senatorial zones.

The Northern zone took its turn when Senator Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi was governor of the state for eight years. The present governor, Sambo is from the Central Senatorial zone and is expected to go for a second term in 2011, going by the zoning arrangement until 2015 when the Southern zone takes its turn.

However some politicians from the Southern zone are opposed to such arrangement describing it as a political suicide because 2015 would be a survival of the fittest.

According to them, there is no guarantee that the two zones that have taken their turn will respect the arrangement, since the arrangement is entirely a PDP affair, not binding on the people of Southern Kaduna

According to the zonal chairman of the PDP in the southern part of the state, Mr. Joseph Sahjury the zoning arrangement started during the administration of former governor Makarfi.

"The truth about the situation on ground in Kaduna state is that there is an arrangement on the ground; I mean a zoning system arrangement for governorship. That arrangement began with the former governor now Senator Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi who is from zone Northern zone.

This arrangement allows for zoning of the governorship. The Northern zone has had its turn with Senator Ahmed Makarfi who served two terms as governor of the state. The 2007 election was contested by candidates from Central and Southern zones and we saw the emergence of Sambo as the governor of the state.

"He is now serving his first term and we all know that constitutionally he is entitled to a second term if he so desires. As the PDP zonal chairman of the Southern zone, I am telling you categorically that we met at Kafanchan early this year and resolved to support Sambo to secure a second term in 2011.

"By the time he serves the second tenure, the Northern and Central zones would have had their full slot of two terms and it would automatically be the turn of the southern zone to produce the governor of the state.

"In 2015, it will be a contest only for southern Kaduna as far as PDP is concerned and you know that Kaduna state is a PDP-controlled state. That meeting we had at Kafanchan was attended by some of the elected council chairmen, members of the state Assembly and members of the National Assembly.

All the local government party chairmen were in attendance, the Deputy Governor too was there and many other party stalwarts. We discussed extensively and reached the conclusion that if we want peace and harmony to reign in the party and for a hitch-free transfer of power to one of our own, it was only wise for us to support Governor Namadi Sambo in 2011 so that by 2015 no section or zone in the state will have any reason to rise against the candidature of a person from the south. We therefore agreed to support Arc. Namadi Sambo should he seek re-election 2011", Sahjury said in a recent interview.

However, in his reaction, the President of the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU) Prof. Ishaya Haruna Nock said the southern Kaduna people are more prepared ever than before to take over the leadership of the state in 2011.

Prof. Nock who spoke in a recent interview with Sunday Champion at the secretariat of SOKAPU said the southern Kaduna people have learnt from their past mistakes and would not repeat such mistakes again. According to him, the southern Kaduna people are working out a modality to support one candidate from the area and speak with one voice.

"I can tell you that we are learning everyday, we learn from our mistakes and in a nutshell what I will tell you is that we now more prepared than ever before to take over the leadership of the state come 2011. I wouldn't tell you the details but we will work hard.

"Every time we make mistakes, we go back to the drawing board. Those mistakes are there and sometimes they are injuries we inflict on ourselves because of our own selfish reasons and of course you know it is very easy to divide and rule, so the enemy comes to divide and rule and sets you a apart and you begin to quarrel within yourselves. Now we are working out a modality to support one candidate and speak with one voice and come 2011, God's willing we will take it" Prof. Nock said.

He maintained that Sahjury is a party man and he is speaking for his party and not for the people of southern Kaduna

"Sahjury is a party man, he has to say what is pleasing to his boss, I am not a party person, I am not answerable to any party, I am for my people, so I speak the desire of my people. We have nothing against anybody..... We are a segmented people, so it is very easy for people to come in and cash in and put one head against the other. We are on the drawing board, and like I said we are learning every day. We are looking at where we have failed before and how we can move forward" Prof Nock said further.

But another top PDP stalwart from the southern part of the state who craved for anonymity insisted that the Southern zone must support Sambo in 2011 and wait for its turn in 2015. According to him, even if other two zones will renege on the arrangement, all Nigerians with good conscience definitely will support the power shift to southern Kaduna.

"If the other two zones refuse to support us in 2015 because they feel they have outsmarted us, I can tell you that all Nigerians with good conscience including the National Secretariat of our party will acknowledge the fact that there is the need to ensure that there is justice and fair play. I don't think that other zones will disappoint us in 2015, having given us our support. Let us give them the benefit of doubt" he said.

Also reacting on the issue Mr. Ashafa Ayuba, a political activist from the area, insisted that it will be politically naïve for the southern Kaduna people to work with the PDP zoning system arguing that the PDP is only one of the political parties in southern Kaduna and has no mandate to speak on behalf of the southern Kaduna People. Ayuba, who is stoutly opposed to the PDP zoning system said the party cannot decide the political future of the Southern Kaduna people.

"We have the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU), we also have the Southern Kaduna Political Forum. We have our senator from the area. I think these are the credible organs that can speak about the political future of southern Kaduna so we are working seriously to take over the governorship of Kaduna state come 2011",  Ashafa said.