A Group known as G-20, organisers of the Northern Political Summit has appealed to the PDP leadership to allow the 1999 Constitution to guide the party in its forthcoming primaries.
Chairman of the Committee, Professor Jerry Gana made the appeal in Abuja while briefing newsmen.

Gana said the Northern Political Summit was of the opinion that “the subsisting zoning that produced the presidency of Umaru Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan must be regarded as an inseparable ticket and the demise of one member of ticket does not invalidate the privileges of the remaining beneficiary.”

Professor Gana said the Summit commended the Northern Governors Forum for reaffirming that President Goodluck Jonathan had the Constitutional right to contest in 2011.He said that by the affirmation, “the North would have, once more, provided a pragmatic solution to a fundamental cause of crisis in the Niger Delta, arising from years of neglect,” adding: “Since by divine providence a son of the Niger Delta has become President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, any attempt to use zoning to hinder the fulfillment of a perceived God given opportunity to lead Nigeria would only lead the nation into deeper crisis. We must not allow other considerations to trivialize this threat to national security and stability.

The former Information Minister noted that zoning emerged in 1998/99 as a strategy for resolving a national crisis arising from the annulment of the June 12, Presidential election.
 
Professor Jerry Gana said it was the view of the G-20 that the most viable option for the country was to ensure the conduct of free, fair and credible election come 2011.

He stated that the Summit accepted the wisdom of regarding the matter of zoning as purely a PDP affair and enjoined Governors to appeal to the party leaders to resolve the matter through dialogue and consultations.

Professor Gana urged Northerners to remember that the Niger-Delta stood by them when it mattered most.