The ambition of President Goodluck Jonathan to contest the 2011 Presidential election suffered a major set back at the weekend as the South-South Youth Assembly (SSYA) called on the president to respect the zoning formula of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and leave office on May 29, 2011.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja on Saturday, SSYA National President, Hon. Tony Anucha said the group has also decided to support the aspiration of former military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida to succeed President Jonathan come 2011.
Hon. Anucha advised President Jonathan and the people of the South-East and South-South zone to wait till 2015 before dreaming of ruling Nigeria in line with the zoning arrangement of the PDP which has been in effect since 1999.
The youth leader disclosed that SSYA has already began the mobilization of youths in the South-South Zone to join in the call on General Babangida to contest the next year's election.
"Whether, we like it or not, zoning arrangement, which started in 1999 has come to stay. We are advising President Jonathan to forget about contesting for now. Let's respect the zoning arrangement and support the North to clinch the presidency come 2011.
"We, the youths of South-South want General Babangida to succeed President Jonathan and we have started mobilizing youths in the South-South zone to join us encouraging this untibalised Nigerian to be the next President of Nigeria", he said.
Hon. Anucha appealed to all the pro-Jonathan Presidency groups to switch over and support General Babangida to succeed, saying that SSYA will use all the resources at its disposal to lobby PDP to accept Babangida as its consensus candidate.
