Northern Leaders Still committed to their bid for the retention of power in the North next year, about 12 leaders of the North have held a secret meeting in Abuja on the legal options to stop President Goodluck Jonathan.
Besides, the elders have floated a “Plan B”, should former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar is technically disqualified by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Three other presidential aspirants on consensus platform have been placed on standby, should Atiku is disqualified.
They are ex-President Ibrahim Babangida; Governor Bukola Saraki; and a former National Security Adviser, Gen. Aliyu Gusau.
Investigation by The Nation revealed that the Northern power brokers met under the aegis of the Northern Elders Assembly in Maitama District in Abuja.
On the agenda were how Atiku was chosen; the forthcoming presidential primaries of the PDP; and the need for a conclusive legal action to stop Jonathan from contesting the 2011 poll.
It was learnt that they had already engaged some retired jurists from the North on the implications of last Wednesday’s judgment by the Chief Judge of the FCT, Justice Lawal Gumi and how to manage the appeal arising from it.
Mr Justice Gumi said although zoning exists and it is binding on PDP, the court would not stop President Goodluck Jonathan from contesting the 2011 poll.
But since the verdict was given, some Northern leaders have been meeting on how to stop Jonathan through the court.
At the Maitama meeting, one of the leaders admitted that he had contacted a source who said “the case can be won against Mr. President”, if it is pursued up to higher courts.
Buoyed by the assurance, it was gathered that the leaders asked a former Minister to “along with his legal team revisit the case and come out with plausible prayers to present to the Court of Appeal”.
Those at the meeting were not immediately known last night, but a source said Dalhatu Bashir Dalhatu, Fatima Balla and Bello Kurfi, one of the “nine wise men” Ciroma Committee that picked Atiku as the consensus candidate.
Another source claimed that Isa Salami and Aminu Aliyu Datsima were there. They could not be reached for confirmation last night.
A source at the meeting said: “The North is ready for a fresh legal battle against Jonathan. It is going to be a fight to the finish up to the Supreme Court on this zoning matter.
“These elders have briefed their counsel to appeal against the judgment as there was no clear sanction against the PDP.
“Some influential Northerners have also advised the leaders to consult with retired Justices from the zone for ‘informed assessment and advice’ on any area deserving amendment to make the appeal stronger.
“We may actually be heading for a political stalemate, if either the Court of Appeal or the Supreme Court makes any landmark pronouncement on this zoning issue.”
Security agencies have got wind of plans to use the court to scuttle the presidential primaries in the PDP, The Nation learnt.
“I think the Presidency is aware of the latest plot and it is on top of the situation. We cannot afford to go back to June 12, 1993 era,” a government official said.
It was learnt that the leaders plan to discuss with Atiku “on the legal option and the possibility of going to court for the interpretation of the PDP constitution on zoning as the elders were earlier advised.
“This will be different from the litigation over the same issue being handled by Sani Dutsinma, a chieftain of the PDP in Katsina State.
On Plan B, one of the leaders said: “The recent decision by the committee after the announcement of Atiku as the consensus presidential choice was for them to work on other alternative but viable options.
“The leaders wanted other presidential aspirants to be on stand-by, should Atiku, by whatever reasons, be disqualified from contesting in the PDP primaries/National Convention and should there not be enough time for litigation over it; one or two of the other aspirants would continue the contest.”
But despite the Plan B, the leader said the meeting agreed that Northern leaders would go ahead to promote Atiku’s candidacy.
The source added: “As a matter of fact, a mass rally is being planned for the North’s Consensus Candidate in Bauchi to underscore Northern leaders’ commitment to retain power in 2011.
On the choice of the consensus candidate, a member of the Search Committee was said to have briefed the Maitama session on why Atiku was chosen by the NPLF leaders.
The source quoted the member as saying: “Contrary to the feeling that ex-President Ibrahim Babangida would have been a better northern consensus presidential choice, the members had looked at the controversies that would have followed had IBB been picked.
“The committee looked at the challenges which Babangida’s candidacy would have posed to the North in the Southwest, Southsouth and some parts of the North.”
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