Zoning: South East Politicians, Analysts Give Divergent Views Ahead of 2023

As electioneering begins ahead of the 2023 general elections in Nigeria, one contentious issue heating the polity is the politics of zoning of elective positions by some political parties especially in the south East.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in a survey reports that many politicians in the zone have been agitating on which side of the divide will produce governors, National and state Assemblies members in their various states.
While some politicians and political analysts are in support of zoning claiming that it has always been an agreement among political parties to ensure equity, others have kicked against the political lexicon saying that there was nothing like that in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria or the Electoral Act.
Zoning, NAN reports was conceptualized by the Second Republic National Party of Nigeria (NPN) to address interethnic tensions following the Nigerian civil war.
In Abia, a former federal lawmaker, Sen. Mao Ohuabunwa, said that zoning helped to promote enduring unity, peace and mutual trust among the distinct sections of the state.
Ohuabunwa, who represented Abia North from 2015 to 2019, said this when an advocacy group on power shift visited him in his Umuahia residence.
He reinforced the agitation for power shift to Abia North Senatorial District in 2023, saying that the area took the first slot in 1999.
According to him, power rotation in 1999 in the state started from Abia north, which produced Sen. Orji Kalu as governor.
“Power rotation will not only guarantee and sustain the prevailing peace in Abia polity but ensure greater unity.
“So, my take is that the party must resolve this issue immediately as time is of essence.
“Now that power has gone round all the three districts, it will only be proper that it rotates back to Abia north from where it started,” Ohuabunwa said.
He, therefore, charged the political class and elders of the state to support the zoning of governorship slot in PDP.
Also, Sen. Theodore Orji, a former governor of the state, said that zoning and power shift to Abia north would be in the overall interest of the state.
Orji made his position on power shift known at a meeting with some political stakeholders from the 17 local government areas of the state at his Umuahia country home.

He told them point blank that power had to rotate back to Abia North in 2023 in keeping with Abia Charter of Equity.
Also, Dr Obinna Ogbonna, the National President of Nigeria Union of Allied Health Professionals, said that regardless that zoning was not constitutional, it could be used to balance socio-economic growth.
Ogbonna said that zoning helped to create balance in the polity by ensuring the inclusion of every part of the country.
“Zoning is a welcome development because its advantages are enormous and should be used to bring intelligent and knowledgeable people to leadership positions in Nigeria.
“In order to make it all participatory, I advocate zoning but will not condone giving leadership responsibility to persons of poor character, all in the name of zoning.
Mr Okey Ihemamma, the State Director of Medical Laboratory Science of Abia Ministry of Health, said that any ideology that would uphold the national anthem ought to be promoted.
Ihemamma said that zoning remained a vital instrument for facilitating growth in Nigeria.
He said: “Zoning is progressive and I support it because it gives a sense of belonging to every part of the country.”
However, there is another school of thought that believes that zoning is undemocratic and defeats meritocracy and excellence.
A former Deputy Governor of the state, Sen. Enyinnaya Abaribe, said he did not subscribe to zoning.
Abaribe, who is representing Abia South Senatorial District of Abia, said this when he declared his governorship aspiration at the PDP Secretariat in Umuahia.
In justifying his ambition to succeed Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu, his kinsman from the same Obingwa Local Government Area, he told newsmen that “the important thing is for the right person to emerge, notwithstanding where he comes from”.
A Public Affairs Analyst in Umuahia, Emma Ogbonnaya, said that zoning is “not only undemocratic but encourages mediocrity and strengthens the hands of godfathers in installing their stooges”.
Ogbonnaya said: “Ceding power to a particular section of a state deprives other qualified persons the right to aspire to elective positions.
“It also makes it difficult for the best person to emerge for an elective position.”
Meanwhile, ex Gov Sullivan Chime of Enugu State agreed that zoning was not constitutional but in existence and practiced.
Chime said that there was no formal zoning arrangement in the state but that it would be in the interest of the state if the current rotation of governorship seat from one senatorial zone to the other was sustained.
According to him, my administration sustained such arrangement with the hope that it would last because it made the cost of prosecuting elections then, low.
On the argument that the next governor of the state could come from any zone since the three zones had had their shares, Chime said, “you cannot be rotating the governorship position and be going back.
“In 2013, we went for a town hall meeting at Nike Lake Resort, one journalist asked me where we will be going to in 2015 and I said Nsukka.
“We had hoped that after Nsukka, the real zoning will set in. It is for the governor to look at how he came in. if he likes, let him pass it to the next generation,” he said.
The former governor said he was of the firm belief that the next governor of the state needed to come from Enugu East Senatorial Zone.
In his reaction, the former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu described the ongoing debate in the state about zoning arrangement as a “travesty of politics,” insisting that it was being used by politicians in the state to garner sympathy to, in the long run, impose an unpopular aspirant on the people.
Ekweremadu said this when he declared his governorship ambition in Enugu.
He insisted that there was no discussion anywhere in the state about zoning, adding that he was not a product of zoning.
“I challenge any person, who said there is zoning in Enugu politics, to say where and when it was discussed and agreed in the state. It is treachery of politics.
“I was never a product of zoning, and if there was zoning, I won’t be in the Senate five times. I had always contested and my people, during those days, elected me. The position I occupied as Deputy President of Senate was not out of zoning. When David Mark became Senate President, he wanted someone he could work with and that was how I came in,” he said.
Another school of thought is of the view that zoning should not only be for president and governors but should also be extended to National Assembly and the state counterpart.
A political analyst, Malachy Onyedika, said that some of the proponents of zoning have spent between 12 years and 20 years representing their senatorial districts, federal and state constituencies without any form of rotation.
According to him, in all of these zoning controversies, the incontrovertible fact is that our leaders make their choice when it favors them.
Key stakeholders in Ebonyi have also said that zoning system addresses democratic process.
Mr. Sylvester Aja, a Political Analyst told NAN that the system could produce effective leadership and enthroned federal character for national cohesion.
Aja, while explaining the deep impacts of the system in a democratic setting, stated that fair and equitable sharing formula and opportunity for minority group to lead was major merit of the arrangement.
He described the system as a political practice that gives opportunity to other political ethnic group to participate in affairs of the country.
Another Political Analyst, Mr. Anthony Nweke said that sincerity of purpose to avoid ethnic bigotry and equal participation for other groups created a deep sense of justice.
Nweke explained that the system remained the ability and diplomacy for national cohesion and development.
He said citizens expected a system that would benefit them and not imposition of candidates.
Mr. Wilson Okereke, a civil servant, said the demerit aspect of the zoning brought mediocrity, which slowed down development of a society.
Okereke also said that the plan brought projection of bad candidates.
In Imo, the House of Assembly member representing Oru West state constituency, Mr. Dominic Ezerioha said zoning hinders more qualified candidates from contesting an election.
“Every qualified citizen of the country should be allowed to contest elections regardless of their geopolitical zone.
“Applying the principle of zoning in politics gives room for error as mediocre candidates may be chosen instead of more qualified ones,” Ezeruoha said.
He explained that while zoning gave equal opportunities to all the geopolitical zones, capable candidates from a zone that were ineligible were sidelined in favour of less capable ones.
He added also that the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria did not make room for zoning and should be followed to the letter.
“Generally, the the disadvantages outweigh the gains; I believe in the Constitution which gives every citizen the right to contest elections.
“Until that is changed, Nigerians should do what the Constitution says as it is now and not what it ought to be; our Constitution makes no provision for zoning,” he said.
Contributing, a Lawyer, Mr Kenneth Iwuji however, said zoning should be embraced to make room for a more united country.
Iwuji said zoning would go a long way in “soothing ruffled feathers,” especially for zones that have not produced a president since Nigeria became democratic.
He added that every zone had capable candidates and should be given the opportunity to “display their strengths and presidential skills” in the interest of equity.