SIR: Top politicians in the country, notably and most recently, the former governor of Nasarawa State, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, opined that it was ‘wishful thinking’ for the southern part of the country to think that the presidency would be zoned to them in 2023. He went on base his argument on the lack of any provisions for the zoning of the presidency in the constitution, and that the proponents of zoning arrangement can seek to tweak the provisions of the constitution the right way.
A few months ago, the governor of Kogi State, and a presidential hopeful, Yahaya Bello, being from north-central, also labeled the call by southern governors for a shift of power from the north to the south as ‘un-constitutional’. He called for the need for a more ‘detribalized’ candidate (obviously referring to himself).
Statements such as these will only leave a bitter taste in the mouth of those who are genuinely concerned about the cohesiveness of the country, especially in tense times like these, when every region seems to be in some form of crisis or the other. It became ironic when the Kogi governor called the governors of Rivers and Lagos states ‘insensitive’ and ‘self-centred’ for signing into law, the retention of their states’ value-added tax (VAT), instead of remitting it to the federal government. While the ruling on VAT retention by states will most likely trigger a chain of reactions across several states, and might polarize the country more than it already is, Governor Bello’s opinion on this is hypocritical to say the least. It also proves that no state has the monopoly of insensitivity, same way it does not have monopoly of competent hands.
Read Also: 2023 presidency: Who will go for us?
I totally agree that the presidency of the country should be based on competence, capacity and the willpower to take on the mantle. This does not in any way contradict the need for zoning the presidency of the country among its regions. Take this hypothesis for instance. Imagine 200 groups of one million Nigerians each, arranged in no particular order. Each group can arguably be able to produce at least one competent and capable person to fit the profile of a good leader, regardless of the heterogeneity or demographic arrangement of the group. In the same vein, each state of the federation can be able to produce a good leader, as much as any other of its counterparts.
My argument is simple. The merits of a zoning arrangement from a national unity point of view supersede any arguments against it. There is a Muhammadu Buhari in every state. There is equally a Dr Goodluck Jonathan in every region.
Moreover, being a northerner through and through, I say it on good authority that President Buhari being a northerner from the hitherto bandit-plagued Katsina State has added no advantage to the life of a common northerner over that of an average southerner. We simply do not care. We want peace and we want prosperity. Any southerner can provide that as much as any northerner!
So, dear Senator Adamu, although the constitution does not make the zoning of Nigeria’s presidency compulsory, it is in the interest of our unity that a suitable candidate emerges from another zone. It is very important that all segments of our heterogeneous union have the perception that this nation is for all of us (as if there should ever be doubts as to that!).
Aliyu Sulaiman,
Sokoto