A presidential hopeful under the banner of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Ibrahim Bello Dauda has kicked against the retention of zoning, saying that the process is antithetical to the growth of democracy and socio economic well being of the people.
Dauda who made the assertion when he featured on Trust TV breakfast show, noted that Nigeria did not in anyway benefit from zoning of leadership.
“I have always spoken against zoning and I will maintain my position on that. Nigeria has not benefitted from it and if it has we would not be having the agitations we are having from different qouta,” he said.
The presidential hopeful noted that successive administrations in the past did not hearken to the principles of zoning yet they fared better adding that the process was brought temporarily to calm frayed nerves in view of the annulment of the June 12 election.
“It was a process of necessity following the annulment of the June 12 election and is not supposed to be a parmanent thing in Nigeria. But politicians have found a way of using it and Nigerians have accepted it. If zoning has benefitted Nigeria we would not be having agitations from the different sectors of Nigeria.
“Governors, party leaders and party members should understand that the interest of the country should come first and their interest should come behind,” he said.
He called on the leadership of the ruling party to jettison zoning of party positions in its forthcoming national convention noting that, “the ticket should be left open and party members should elect who they feel best suits the position”.
Dauda noted that the zoning arrangement in most cases left the political parties fractionalized and in perpetual conflict noting that consensus is a good option but should only be done when people willing embraced it.
“Consensus is a good process but it should be a process people partake in willingly not being coarced to accept what they should ordinarily reject,” he said.
When asked whether shifting the national convention will lead to resolution of some of the challenges bedevilling the party, Dauda said, there is no wisdom in that because there is no guarantee that the contentions and agitations dogging the party will be addressed within the time frame especially considering the fact that electioneering processes are attached to timelines.
He said the principles of the zoning arrangement which is to give the minority tribes a sense of belonging have been hijacked by the dominant ethnic nationalities but the promoters of the zoning are living in denial of such fundamental fact.
Dauda said it is trite for the politicians to promote zoning at the same time could not zone other national challenges like ASUU and NLC strikes across the Nigeria’s political space.
He noted that the only solution to the myriads of socio economic challenges bedevilling the country lies in good governance, equity, fairness and justice.
