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2023: Zoning is Constitutional – Afegbua

Former commissioner for information in Edo State, Prince Kassim Afegbua, has said zoning is a constitutional requirement in Nigerian politics, Leadership reports.

He said those kicking against power rotation to the south in 2023 were doing so for selfish and egocentric reasons.

Afegbua, who is a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said zoning means the same thing as federal character which is captured in the Nigerian constitution.

Last week, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar had said zoning isn’t constitutional when he received a group championing his 2023 presidential ambition.

But, Afegbua in a statement he issued yesterday in Abuja, said the principle of Amalgamation which was consummated in 1914 is very clear and unambiguous in rotating the leadership of the country between the North and South.

He said, “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, the 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 House of Representatives, and even the secretary of government of the federation (SGF). If there is no zoning, 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,” he said.

Afegbua asserted that in a plural society like Nigeria with its diversities, one cannot do without zoning and power sharing. He stated that matter how nepotistic the Buhari presidency is, it has observed the principle of zoning positions to create some level of balance.

While noting that President Buhari’s style has been skewed in favour of the northern zone, Afegbua said 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.

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Copyright 2022 SIGNAL. Permission to use portions of this article is granted provided appropriate credits are given to  www.signalng.com and other relevant sources.

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