Nigeria - Eastern Leaders Forum (ELF) insisted on Tuesday that refusal of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to fill its vacant office of the National Chairman with someone from the Southeast in consonance with the party's constitution was an act of marginalisation of the zone. Addressing journalists on agitation by people of the zone asking both President Goodluck Jonathan and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to address their quest for restoration of a son of the region into office of the party chairman, Chairman of ELF, Chukwuemeka Ezeife, noted that it was unfortunate that those concerned have refused to harken to the voice of the people.

The Southeast leaders, in pleading with the President and the party, said they will not mind having a Southeasterner as PDP chairman again, even for one day.

Ezeife, though expressed the disappointment of the zone with the party and the President, however, assured the President that the region will not take into consideration the present injustice come Presidential election in April, saying "chairmanship or not, Ndigbo will vote for Jonathan".

Advising the President to address the grievances of the zone, he emphasised that it was needless creating doubt on the sincerity of the administration to keep faith with agreements reached on the matter.

According to Ezeife, a former Governor of Anambra State, "These people want to vote for President Jonathan, but they need to be assured that they will be protected in the President Jonathan's project".

He noted that though Ndigbo have dumped all their eggs in the one basket provided by Jonathan, "but the inability of the PDP and the President to return to them what is theirs, is not a subject of worry to Ndigbo and some opponents of the President are working hard to exploit the situation".

Ezeife explained further that the attitude of the President and PDP on the matter of accepting the consensus nominee of Ndigbo after the screening was a big dent to the entire agreement, which, he stressed, was not good enough.

"We are worried that PDP and President Jonathan are exerting great energy on doubtful prospects instead of consolidating on what is better assured".

Rotimi Akinwumi

Daily Independent/16/03/2011