Kassim Afegbua, a former commissioner for information in Edo
state, says there are grounds for zoning of political offices in the
constitution.
Afegbua said “zoning means the same thing as federal
character” and only aspirants with “selfish and egocentric” interests would say
that there is no such provision in the constitution.
Section 14 (3) of the 1999 constitution stipulates 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 in any of its agencies”.
Recall that Atiku Abubakar, former vice-president, while
meeting with a group asking him to run for president, said there is no
provision for zoning political offices in the constitution.
However, in a statement on Sunday, Afegbua who was the
spokesperson of the Atiku Abubakar presidential campaign organisation during
the 2019 general election, said those saying zoning is not in the constitution
are “only trying to be clever by half”.
“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 the zoning of political offices,” the statement reads.
“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 the 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 the 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 owes 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. For
our diversities and heterogeneous configurations, with several nation-states
within the nation, the zoning principle has to be deliberately applied to
create the required political stability.
“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.
“Rather than continue to dwell on the impropriety of turning
logic on its head by the political ambition of our brothers from the North, it
will make for good judgment for them to bury their ambition and support the
Southern zone to produce credible candidates for the 2023 general election.”
Afegbua also said it is the “inalienable right” of the
southern part of the country to produce the next president, adding that
ignoring such “will spell political doom for the country”.
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