The fight for the soul of Nigeria has continued to gather momentum as more people are joining the race from the two major political parties in particular, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to become the number one citizen of the country in 2023.
The issue of zoning has generated a lot of debate and may pose a huge challenge to these parties, because some Nigerians are of the view that zoning should be given priority since it has the capacity to unite the country and give every region a sense of belonging, while others have contrary opinion, stressing that zoning is not in the nation’s constitution and as such should be jettisoned.
Some have argued that before President Buhari came to power, the PDP, which won the first presidential election in the current democratic dispensation that started in 1999, evolved a power rotation mechanism whereby presidential power rotated between North and South.
President Olusegun Obasanjo, from the South West, got the baton first and presided over the affairs of the country for eight years, 1999-2007. After his two terms, the next President, in the person of Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, came from the North. It was expected that, after Yar’Adua’s tenure of eight years, power would shift to the South. Unfortunately, President Yar’Adua died in office in 2010 and, in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution, the then Vice President, Goodluck Jonathan, assumed office and completed the remaining part of the four-year tenure. The death of Yar’Adua, therefore, altered the power equation.
In exercising his constitutional right, President Jonathan sought election in 2011 and won. It was assumed that, after his term of office, power would shift to the North. Jonathan was to lose the election in 2015 in his second term bid to President Buhari of the APC, from the North. Like the death of President Yar’Adua, Jonathan’s defeat at the polls altered the seamless power rotation arrangement in PDP.
Nigerians, depending on where they come from and the level of their nationalism, are divided as to what would happen by the time President Buhari leaves office next year. Some are saying that power should naturally shift to the South. Others insist that the North should retain power after Buhari, under the APC or PDP, to complete the period the zone lost, owing to President Yar’Adua’s death.
However, it is in the PDP that politicians from the North are not only openly claiming that there is nothing like zoning but have also entered the presidential race.
POLL
According to analysts, no matter what those who claim that the presidential contest should be for all, the mood of the country supports zoning of the presidency. In the last seven years, the country has been terribly divided. There is mutual suspicion among the tribes. There is a feeling of neglect of some sections of the country and the favouring of a particular one.
According to them, the only thing that would reduce the tension and give all sections of Nigeria a sense of belonging is for power rotation between North and South to continue at the centre. In the APC, it should be natural that President Buhari’s successor should come from the South.
They maintained that in PDP, no matter the argument, the next presidential candidate should come from the South, since the last presidential candidate of the party in 2019 came from the North. This is more so since the outgoing President is from the North. This is what equity and justice demand.
In fact former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar was the presidential candidate of the PDP in 2019 and he has also indicated interest to run in 2023 and was in the fore front of those campaigning against zoning.
The big question is what will be the fate of Atiku if the party decides to zone the presidency to the South, which analysts believe is what is going to happen considering the fact that the outgoing President is from the North.
The Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) which has repeatedly faulted those who campaigned against zoning and has also expressed disappointment at a statement credited to the former Vice President and Presidential candidate of PDP in the 2019, Atiku Abubakar, on the zoning of the presidency in 2023.
The socio-political organisation in a press statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Hon. Ken Robinson said that it is unfortunate that the former Vice President drew such a conclusion.
“He knows his statement is inconsistent with established and justifiable protocols and conventions, which have helped to sustain considerable understanding, peace and stability in the polity.
“The narrative that there is no zoning in the nation’s Constitution is a conscienceless mockery of our democratic evolution, and indeed, the country’s constitution,”
The statement added, “It bears underscoring that Nigeria’s Constitution, though flawed, has ample provisions that emphasize inclusiveness, fairness and equity. Section 14(3) of the Constitution (as amended) provides that “the composition of the Government of the Federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity, and also to command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few states or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that government or any of its agencies.”
PANDEF stated that zoning and rotation of key political positions in the polity cannot be discarded in a diverse and complex society like Nigeria, particularly, under the prevailing circumstances and called on all political parties to zone their presidential ticket to the South, stressing that any political party that does otherwise shall not have their support in 2023.
“Atiku Abubakar and other Northerners expressing interest to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023 ought to understand that their desire flies in the face of natural justice.
“We implore former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the other Northerners to shelve their ambitions now and support the emergence of credible individuals from the South as presidential candidates of their various political parties. Anything otherwise would be undignifying and injurious to national concord,” the statement further reads.
To buttress its support for zoning, the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF), comprising Afenifere, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Middle Belt Forum and Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF has described as enemies those opposed to zoning the Presidency to the South in 2023.
A statement issued by SMBLF, said those against Southern presidency are only fanning the embers of dissent and disunity capable of exacerbating the crisis in the country.
The leaders reiterated their position that the PDP, ruling APC, and other political parties should zone their presidential tickets to the South, vowing that any political party that failed to do so in the spirit of rotation principle shouldn’t count on their support.
According to them the choice of the South to produce the successor of President Muhammadu Buhari became imperative because the North would have fully enjoyed the office of the Presidency for the full statutory period of eight years by 2023.
The statement, signed by Chief Edwin Clark, as Chairman of the groups and leader of PANDEF; Afenifere leader, Chief Ayo Adebanjo; Ohanaeze Ndigbo’s leader, Professor George Obiozor; and Dr. Pogu Bitrus of Middle Belt Forum, reads, “This arrogant statement of ‘competence’ was originally propagated by Mamman Daura, nephew of President Buhari, who inferred that zoning should be jettisoned to have a competent person become president.
‘’Daura’s sentiment has now been adopted by some Northern commentators, canvassing that there should be no more rotation and zoning but competence, giving the impression that there are more educated and competent persons in the North than in the South. It’s not only ridiculous but erroneous.
“The concept of zoning and rotation of political positions, particularly in a diverse and complex society like Nigeria, is consistent with basic tenets of democracy; expressions that it is anti-democracy are illogical.
“It is worthy of note that zoning has been an important factor in Nigeria’s political system, and has helped to bolster harmony, understanding and confidence in the polity. We cannot ignore substantial and justified precedents.
“In 2007, the PDP, maintained zoning, which led to the emergence of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan as Vice President.
“It is believed that former President Goodluck Jonathan lost re-election in 2015, mainly due to sentiments of “It is our turn” by the North and that President Buhari won on the spinal of those emotions.
“In 2018, the PDP, again, zoned its presidential ticket to the North; 12 aspirants from the North contested the PDP presidential primary in Port Harcourt, which Atiku Abubakar won and went on to contest the presidential election in 2019 against President Muhammadu Buhari.
“It is quite clear that all political parties with national outlooks have religiously adhered to the zoning and rotation arrangement, between the north and the south. It cannot be jettisoned now.’’