VOA标准英语2010年-Ruling Party in Niger Delta: Jonathan

Nigeria President Goodluck Jonathan waving as he arrives for a dinner at the Prefecture in Nice, France, during the 25th Africa-France Summit, 30 Jun 2010

Ruling party members in the Niger Delta¹ say northerners cannot keep President Goodluck Jonathan, a southerner, from running in Nigeria's next presidential election.

 

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has not yet said whether he will run in elections that are to take place before April. That has not stopped the debate raging in his People's Democratic Party, or PDP, as to whether Mr. Jonathan, a southerner, could or should run.

Northern politicians say Mr. Jonathan's candidacy would violate an informal power-sharing - or zoning - agreement in the PDP that rotates the presidency² between the mainly Muslim north and largely Christian³ south every two terms.  Previously⁴ vice⁵ president, Mr. Jonathan became president in May after the death of President Umaru Yar'adua, who was from the north.

Northerners say they still have four more years to retain power under the zoning arrangement. However, some PDP members in the Niger Delta say Mr. Jonathan, a native of the region in the south, has a right to run.

The president of the Ijaw Youth Council in the Delta, Chris Ekiyor, says Nigeria is moving beyond questions of north and south. He says primaries should decide who will be the PDP's candidate.

"For the Nigerian people, Jonathan's running is a must," said Ekiyor.  "We will mobilize Nigerians, devoid⁶ of ethnic⁷ bias⁸, devoid of region, to support a man who will do what Nigerians want. And to my mind, Jonathan right now is taking the direction Nigerians are asking for. That kind of a man is the one that we need."

Opponents of the zoning system say it is outdated⁹, undemocratic and not written in Nigeria's constitution.

Awani Akande is a PDP women's leader in the Delta state and a Jonathan supporter.

"This is the opportunity now for the Niger Delta to handle the seat of presidency, for us to deliver as we are meant to.  They should not deprive us of this right.  It is our right. Let everyone come out and try his own right.  It's one man, one vote that we are talking about and not zoning.  The people are ready to deliver for the president if he is willing to run," said Akande.

Northern politicians have threatened to take Mr. Jonathan to court if he runs, but Akande says actions like that could destabilize the country, in particular the Niger Delta.

"Forget about going to court and allow everybody to try his potential," said Akande.  "If the people vote for you, you win.  If they do not vote for you, then you lose and go.  That is the sportsmanship spirit."

Some militants¹¹ in the Niger Delta warn they will resume hostilities¹² if Mr. Jonathan is prevented from running.  There are fears that would endanger an amnesty with rebels that has greatly reduced the violence, which plagued the region for years.

But not everyone in the Niger Delta thinks Mr. Jonathan should run. 

Ovie Joseph is secretary to the PDP chairman in the Ughelli North local government area.  He says the party agreed on zoning, so Mr. Jonathan should wait until the northerners have completed their tenure¹³.

"There is mutual¹⁴ understanding, and if there is a zoning system of mutual understanding within the party, we still agree that that understanding can still be for the presidential system. The zoning formula to me, to what I understand as a person, I feel the mutual understanding is that the presidency remains¹⁵ with the north."

The PDP has won the last three presidential elections, holds majorities in both houses of parliament and controls more than three-quarters of Nigeria's state governorships.

But some party members fear the zoning debate and other internal disputes threaten the PDP's unity¹⁰ and dominance of Nigerian politics.

 

1 delta   

n.（流的）角洲

参考例句：

• He has been to the delta of the Nile.他曾去过尼罗河三角洲。
• The Nile divides at its mouth and forms a delta.尼罗河在河口分岔，形成了一个三角洲。

2 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

3 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

4 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

5 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

6 devoid   

adj.全无的，缺乏的

参考例句：

• He is completely devoid of humour.他十分缺乏幽默。
• The house is totally devoid of furniture.这所房子里什么家具都没有。

7 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

8 bias   

n.偏见，偏心，偏袒；vt.使有偏见

参考例句：

• They are accusing the teacher of political bias in his marking.他们在指控那名教师打分数有政治偏见。
• He had a bias toward the plan.他对这项计划有偏见。

9 outdated   

adj.旧式的，落伍的，过时的；v.使过时

参考例句：

• That list of addresses is outdated,many have changed.那个通讯录已经没用了，许多地址已经改了。
• Many of us conform to the outdated customs laid down by our forebears.我们许多人都遵循祖先立下的过时习俗。

10 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

11 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

12 hostilities   

n.战争；敌意(hostility的复数)；敌对状态；战事

参考例句：

• Mexico called for an immediate cessation of hostilities. 墨西哥要求立即停止敌对行动。
• All the old hostilities resurfaced when they met again. 他们再次碰面时，过去的种种敌意又都冒了出来。

13 tenure   

n.终身职位；任期；(土地)保有权，保有期

参考例句：

• He remained popular throughout his tenure of the office of mayor.他在担任市长的整个任期内都深得民心。
• Land tenure is a leading political issue in many parts of the world.土地的保有权在世界很多地区是主要的政治问题。

14 mutual   

adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的

参考例句：

• We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
• Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。

15 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。