Rose Ejembi, Makurdi
Former Senior Special Assistant to former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Human Trafficking and Child Labour, Mike Mku, has disagreed with President Muhammadu Buhari’s nephew, Alhaji Mamman Daura, who recently said that zoning should be jettisoned for competency.
Mku who spoke with newsmen yesterday insisted that even though the running of the country should be placed in competent hands, the Presidency should be based on zoning for fair play.
In an interview with the BBC Hausa Service, Daura had stated that Nigerians should always go for competency in picking their leaders.
But reacting to the statement, Mku, a chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) said Daura was unfair to other parts of the country in seeking to jeopardise zoning by the statement.
“I disagree with Daura and other people that are saying zoning of the position of president of Nigeria should no longer be considered. In as much as I encourage competence, zoning should be maintained for the purpose of fair sharing.
“Every part of this country has competent hands that can rule this country called Nigeria. More so, it is only zoning that can give minority tribes a sense of belonging in the scheme of things in this country.
“In as much as competency is encouraged, Nigerians should adhere strictly to the zoning arrangement for the purpose of fair sharing,” Mku said.
He posited that without zoning, minority tribes in the country would always be cheated when it comes to sharing of leading positions in the country.