Senator Grace Bent, who represented Adamawa South in the Sixth Senate, has said that fielding Jonathan cost the PDP the presidency. Bent said, “Of course, it did. In all fairness, Jonathan should not have had the ticket, especially when you see the need to go by our zoning policy.
“With adherence to our zoning formula, we would have been able to look around for a credible candidate from the northern part of the county, to contest for that office.
“With the way things are going in the party now, I am afraid that the issue of zoning is going to be rubbished.
Everybody now wants to give it a shot; Igbos are beginning to agitate for it, the North is insisting that they must do their own second term and there is so much agitation.
“For the executive office, believe me, I am completely for zoning; it is a must that zoning or rotation must be practised for executive office.
“It is compulsory that we must maintain zoning policy and adhere strictly to it, especially when we consider the complexity of our mosaic nature – our multi-ethnic, multi-religious setting. With such, we do not have a choice.
“That was one of the reasons why president Obasanjo insisted that a South-South person should have a shot at the presidency and that is why he and other party people supported Goodluck Jonathan so that the Ijaws can feel that sense of belonging.
“The country belongs to all of us and no particular group can claim its leadership as an exclusive right. No! We must stand by zoning policy always, otherwise, we are going to create unnecessary chaos in the country”.
