Lagos — A day after the South-south, his geopolitical zone, endorsed him for the 2011 presidential race, governors of the 19 Northern states under the aegis of the Northern Governors Forum (NGF) yesterday rose from their meeting in Kaduna, saying President Goodluck Jonathan is free to run.

Amidst a hot exchange between Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam and his Niger State counterpart, Dr. Babangida Aliyu, the governors in the end failed to take any definite stand on the contentious issue of zoning of the presidency.

THISDAY, however, learnt that at the meeting held at the Government House, Kaduna, the governors voted on the issue. Ten of them voted for zoning, insisting that it is the turn of the North to produce the president in 2011.

Seven voted against zoning, saying the race should be open to all Nigerians including President Jonathan while one governor abstained from voting.

According to sources at the meeting, the governors of Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara, Kwara, Kano, Borno, Katsina, Gombe, Niger and Jigawa voted that zoning must be maintained and that the agreement that the North should produce the president is still valid.

The governors who voted against zoning are those of Plateau, Benue, Taraba, Adamawa, Kaduna, Kogi and Nasarawa while Yobe State governor abstained from voting.

Bauchi State Governor Isa Yuguda was absent at the meeting. His absence may not be unconnected with the death of the Emir of Bauchi.

But in the communiqué at the end of the meeting, the Northern governors said zoning was purely the affair of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and that wider consultations should still continue at all levels of the party.

The meeting noted that the Nigerian constitution is supreme and defines the qualification for the election of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, adding that based on the provisions of the constitution, President Jonathan and other Nigerians have the right to contest for the office of the President.The communiqué was read by the Chairman of the NGF and Niger State Governor, Dr. Mu'azu Aliyu Babangida.

In the communiqué, the governors said consultations would continue across the country in order to address the concerns of all in the interest of peace and stability.The seven- paragraph communiqué read: "The special meeting of the Northern Governors Forum was held sequel to the resolve (of the governors) during its meeting of July 1, 2010 to allow members go back for wider consultations with stakeholders for the unity and progress of Northern states within the context of a united Nigeria on zoning of the position of the President before eventually taking a position on the matter.

"The forum then noted that the desired wider consultations with stakeholders had taken place and various positions had been taken by respective states."The Northern Governors' Forum after collating the reports from all the 19 Northern states and after exhaustive deliberations recognizes the following:

"The supremacy of the 1999 Constitution as encapsulated in Section 1; the provision of Section 131 of the 1999 Constitution, which states the qualifications for the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

"Arising from the above therefore, the forum acknowledges the right of President Goodluck Jonathan and indeed any other Nigerian to legitimately and constitutionally contest for the office of the president."On zoning, the forum recognizes the fact that the issue of zoning is a PDP affair as contained in Section 7(2c) of the party constitution.

"Therefore, in acknowledging the circumstances of force majeure, arising from the demise of President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua and subsequently ascendancy of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to the presidency, the forum resolves that wider consultations should continue at all party levels within the PDP with all stakeholders across the nation to address the concerns of all in the interest of peaceful co-existence and advancement of democracy in our dear country, Nigeria."

The communiqué of the meeting was a compromise position as the meeting was said to be very tense. Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido, his Kebbi and Kano states counterparts Saidu Dakingari and Ibrahim Shekarau also at some point threatened to walk out of the meeting.

Reacting to the outcome of the meeting, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar commended the courage of the Northern Governors in supporting the PDP zoning policy.

According to a statement by his media office in Abuja, Atiku described the governors' position as a demonstration of uncommon courage and patriotism.

Atiku said: "The zoning policy protects minority groups against domination by the majority.

"In a country as heterogeneous and complex as Nigeria, the zoning policy will ensure fairness and equity in the distribution of political offices."

He said it was sad and unfortunate that the issue has been politicized by dishonest and selfish politicians.

"We must cultivate the culture of honouring agreements in this country. We will not make progress in this country if our actions are driven simply by convenience," he added.

Speaking on a two-hour Hausa programme, "Hannu da yawa," of Radio Nigeria Kaduna, Shekarau said zoning was purely a PDP affair.He said when PDP initiated the idea in 1999; it was done behind closed doors and should remain so.

Shekarau said anybody can contest for any position, adding: "I resolved to aspire for the Nigerian presidential seat come 2011 to heed to several calls and agitations from friends, associates and other well-wishers across the country. The governor said the basic concern is for the nation to have a credible leader.He said he would contest as an ordinary Nigerian, not as a Northerner running on account of zoning.

Meanwhile, the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), formed by former Head of State, General Muhammadu Buhari, has warned Northern political leaders rooting for zoning to leave its presidential flag bearer out of PDP's internal crisis engendered by zoning.

CPC was reacting to a statement credited to a member of the Northern Political Forum, Ambassador Yahaya Kwande, who was quoted as saying Buhari is selfish for not supporting the zoning arrangement.

The party's National Publicity Secretary Dennis Aghanya said in a statement in Abuja that such Northern PDP leaders are actually threatened by Buhari's towering political influence in the country.

He said: "CPC has made it very clear that we don't believe in the principle of zoning because it is against the tenets of democracy. Some of the self-styled leaders of the PDP of Northern extraction have continued to call our leader names simply because he has refused to involve himself in issues that do not concern him and his party."