..Tasks Southern govs to speak with one voice
By Folorunso Alagbede, Abuja
Former Commissioner for Information in Edo State and erstwhile spokesperson to former military President, General Ibrahim Babangida, rtd, Prince Kassim Afegbua has declared that the issue of zoning of political offices in the country is a constitutional issue.
Afegbua made the declaration in a statement personally signed by him yesterday in Abuja.
The former Commissioner and chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, pointed out that those who are reading the constitution upside down or trying as it were, to twist the logic of zoning to suit their bulbous ego, are only trying to be clever by half.
The facts of the matter, he expressly said, do not support their illogic.
He said for those who are declaring that there is no zoning in the constitution, “why has it been the practice that each time a candidate emerges from the North, his Vice Presidential candidate comes from the South, and vice-versa”.
He stressed further that for the nation’s diversities and heterogenous configurations, with several nation-states within the nation, the zoning principle has to be deliberately applied to create the required political stability. Afegbua added that anything short of the application of this doctrine will be unconstitutional, and a clear abuse of the principle of Federal Character, which is enshrined in the 1999 constitution.
The statement by Afegbua reads, “For selfish and egocentric reasons, I have read some aspirants talking about the absence of zoning in the Nigeria Constitution.
“In order to serve their selfish end and contest the 2023 presidential election against the run of play, they have resorted to making references to the 1999 constitution to support their weak argument against zoning of political offices.
“It must be stated unequivocally that zoning means the same thing as Federal Character, which is expressly captured in the 1999 constitution.
“The federal character talks about political balancing of positions and appointments, which is the same thing as zoning.
“Zoning means “divide into or assign to zones”, positions and appointments whether by way of election or appointment.
“For those who are declaring that there is no zoning in the constitution, why has it been the practice that each time a candidate emerges from the North, his Vice Presidential candidate comes from the South, and vice-versa.
“The Senate President is also zoned to another geopolitical zone, ditto for the Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, and even the Secretary of Government of the Federation.
“If there is no zone, these positions could have been concentrated in one geopolitical zone, but for that Federal Character provision in the constitution, which is similar to zoning, we have made it a point of duty to observe zoning.
“In a plural society like Nigeria, given our diversities, one cannot do without zoning and power sharing.
“No matter how nepotistic the Buhari presidency is, it has observed the principle of zoning positions to create some level of balance.
“I am aware that President Buhari’s style has been skewed in favour of his Northern zone.
“The media owe it a duty to educate Nigerians on the therapeutic effect of zoning and applying the doctrine of Federal character which has been in place since the independence of Nigeria.
“It is an attraction we cannot run away from given our peculiarities, sensibilities and equivocation.
“As a party, if you choose not to zone by way of balancing the algorithms, take all your candidates from a section of the country and let us watch how your political fortunes pan out.
“Those who are reading the constitution upside down or trying as it were, to twist the logic of zoning to suit their bulbous ego, are only trying to be clever by half. “The facts of the matter do not support their illogic.
