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Only the truth can save the People’s Democratic Party (PDP)and Only a Peoples’ Democratic Party founded on the altar of truth and justice can save the Nigerian federation from imminent collapse! I am compelled to intervene in the debate as to whether the presidency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria should be zoned to any particular zone or thrown open to all the zones of the federation, especially within the context of the PDP, because I was involved and I am still involved. What is more, I have decided to get involved in this debate because it is being taken seriously by those who should truly desire to defend the political rights of their people without minding their personal interest.
In this case, I have read that the governors of the southern zones of Nigeria have insisted on the application of the principles of zoning and rotation in choosing the presidential candidate of their party, the PDP. I was involved because I was one of the founders of the PDP: One of the three people who drafted its original constitution; the three were- General David Jemibowen, the late Senator (Dr.) Chuba Okadigbo and my humble self, Dr. Uzodinma Nwala, as the secretary. The truth is that I largely authored that original draft. I was the pioneer director of organisation and strategy of the PDP and in that capacity I was responsible for the creation of its foundation structures in accordance with the principles of that original constitution and the directive of the party’s Executive Committee. I was the secretary of the Convention Committee of the PDP’s first National Convention, held in Jos in 1999. In the later capacity, I was the secretary of the screening committee of that presidential election.
The origin of the principles of zoning and rotation in the Nigerian Constitution
The principle of zoning and rotation as presently being canvassed in the Nigerian political system was first introduced during the 1994-5 Abuja National Constitutional Conference. The imperative for introducing the two principles came up as a result of the earnest search for viable principles that could hold the wobbly and crises-ridden Nigerian federation together. We found this in the principle of power-sharing among the component units of the federation. It was agreed that monopoly of power by any one section of a federal system was utterly undemocratic and prone to inducing political crises and instability. Among the major committees of that Constitutional Conference were -Committee on Structures and Framework of the Constitution.
This happened to be the number one committee in that conference. I was a member of the committee, along with Chief Alex Ekwueme, General Shehu Yar’Adua, S.G. Ikoku, Paul Unongo, etc. The next committee on the fundamental issues of exercise of political power in a multi-national federation was the Committee on Power-Sharing itself. The issues in these committees were so contentious, particularly in the number one committee, where Chief Ekwueme and I had very frustrating time with our northern colleagues who were so over-bearing as if others were strangers in the federation. On one occasion, I had a physical exchange with my friend Paul Unongo after he shouted “Right, right,” in support of another member from the North who had said to Ekwueme, “I am ashamed of my former Vice-President.”
The Minority Report
It was in response to these experiences that Ekwueme and I drafted the Minority Report of the number one Committee. Despite all attempts by our northern colleagues to prevent the presentation of the Minority Report, we eventually sailed through with the propositions in our Minority Report with the support of our southern colleagues and the Middle Belt.
According to the Minority Report, which Chief Ekwueme and I submitted, the most appropriate political structure to anchor equity and stability in the political system is one based on the principles of zoning and rotation of power among the various identifiable zones of the federation.
When eventually this was put to vote, 37 voted in favour of both zoning and rotation, while 29 and 28, respectively, voted against both. Following this majority decision, the principles of zoning and rotation were finally put in the Draft Report of the Conference. It was stated thus: “Realizing that the election of the nation’s Number One Citizen has been a major source of our political crises and upheaval, and determined to fashion out a Constitution that will be acceptable to the majority of Nigerians, and mindful of the need to avoid concentration of power in the hands of a few, or a sectional group, and the need to allay the fears in certain quarters that the position of the Number One Citizen of Nigeria is reserved for a particular area of the country or that a particular section of the country cannot aspire to occupy that coveted Number One seat, the Conference in its wisdom and by consensus agreed that the Presidency shall rotate between the North and the South. In the same spirit, the Conference further decided that this principle of rotation shall go down the ladder and, therefore, the governorship of a State and the Chairmanship of a Local Government shall rotate among three Senatorial districts of the State and the Chairmanship of a Local Government shall rotate among the three sections into which each Local Government shall be divided by the State Electoral Commission” (Pp. 65 of Vol. II of the Report of the Constitutional Conference).
The G.34, The Harbinger of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP). When our attempt to form a Political Party failed to get General Abacha’s approval, we decided to bond ourselves into a political formation, having agreed according to a note I sent to Chief Ekwueme, quoting Lenin, that “In Politics, Organization is Everything”Towards the end of the Constitutional Conference it became obvious that we had come across many like-minded nationalists.
Some were at the Conference with us, others were drawn to our circle by the thrust of our anti-military stance and the echo of our determination, The most popular decision of that Conference was the decision on the termination of military rule in Nigeria by June 1, 1996. According to that decision, the military should hand over political power and quit the political stage by January 1, 1996.In order to consolidate the solidarity of the emergent circle of like-minded nationalists, we formed the Institute of Civil Society (ICS), with Chief Dr Alex Ekwueme as Chairman, Prof Jerry Gana as Secretary and I was to move in to take up the position of the Director-General of the ICS. Among these nationalists within our circle were Chief Dr Alex Ekwueme, Chief Solomon Lar, Mallam Adamu Ciroma, Alhaji Bamangar Tukur, Chief Francis Ellah. Dr Tunji Otegbeye, Chief Bola Ige, Prof Jerry Gana, Dr Uzodinma Nwala, Dr Onyeabor Obi, Senator Dr Iyorchia Ayu, Alhaji Lawal Kaita, Alhaji Abubakat Rimi, Alhaji Sule Lamido, etc, The last two were in detention when the G.34 emerged, but they sent message to us to say that whatever we decided we should count them in.It was Nelson Mandela’s Challenge that spurred us, especially when he said that there was no alternative to Abacha.
Nelson said this after his attempt to encourage the Nigeria’s main pro-democracy groups to take to militant opposition against Abacha failed. Of course we later knew that they were opposing and working with Abacha at the same time.Indeed, the emergence of the G.34 filled that gap and provide a credible and authentic alternative leadership in the anti-military struggle. I drafted the original text of the G.34 document in Dr Ekwueme’s house on the eve of the Lagos Conference at Mainland Hotel, Later Chief Dr Ekwueme, Prof Jerry Gana, Senator Onyeabor Obi, Senator Dr Iyorchia Anyu and I were those charged with editing and producing the final text of the G.34 document.With the publication of the G.34 Declaration (and the G.18 declaration that preceded it, the stage was set for the emergence of that alternative to Abacha which Nelson Mandela said was lacking in the Nigerian anti-military struggle.Having hoisted the G.34 as the authentic alternative to the military, we of the G.34 started formulating the principles of the post-military governance of Nigeria.
Lawal Kaita’s Motion on the Adoption of the Principles of Zoning and Rotation in the Constitutiton of the new Party we were formingAt our meeting at the Federal Palace Hotel in Lagos, we began to set out the principles of the post-military governance of the country. Power Sharing was agreed as the main pillars of the stability of the multi-national Federation. Among the key elements of this basic principle are Zoning and Rotation of the key offices beginning with the Presidency down to the Governorship of States and to the Chairman of Local Government Councils.During our debate on this, Alhaji Lawal Kaita moved a historic motion that the G.34 should adopt the principles of Zoning and Rotation in the post-military governance of Nigeria.In his motion, Alhaji Kaita proposed that the post-military Government being husbanded by the emergent Party being put in place by the G.34 should adopt the principles of Zoning and Rotation as was decided at the Constitutional Conference of 1994-5. Therefore, he moved that the post of the President of Nigeria should ‘zoned to the South and personally to Chief Ekwueme’.
To this motion, Chief Ekwueme promptly reacted. Ekwueme said that while the first part of the motion is in order; the second part seeking to zone it to him personally as Chief Ekwueme, was not in order because Rotation was not a personal thing.Why did Lawal Kaita move that the Presidency be zoned to the South?When the Zoning and Rotation were decided at the Constitutional Conference, it was agrred that the Presidency should rotate in a SOUTH-NORTH alternation, The question is Why give the South the first shot?Actually, the decision of the Constitutional Conference was that the Presidency of Nigeria should rotate among the six geo-political zones in a South-North Alternation.
During the debate it was shown that, since independence in 1960, the presidency of Nigeria had been occupied among the three regions as follows – Heads of State/Government by Regions since Independence in 1960. Region No. of Heads of Total No of Months Percentage Of State/Govt. in Office — East 1 6 1.39 West 2 46 10.65 North 7 380 87.96 Total 10 432 100Given this statistics, it was obvious that the North had monopolized political power since independence. Equity, such as was being addressed, demanded that the next
President in the cycle of zoning and rotation of power should go to the South.Given the extreme marginalization of the South East, Equity also demands that it should start with the South East. Given that Chief Dr Ekwueme was the Chairman of the G.34 and hence of the interim Executive Committee of the new Party, he deserved a Special consideration if the G,34 must continue to play its role as the harbinger of the new political order. What is more, many people considered that the termination of the regime of Alhaji Shehu Shagari robbed Chief Ekwueme of the opportunity to succeed Shagari as the Head of State.
Those were the factors that influenced Alhaji Lawal Kaita to move that historic motion,Indeed, if Chief Ekwueme had not interrupted Alhaji Lawal Kaita’s motion, it would have been carried by the leadership of the G.34 and hence of the emergent Party. And if that had happened, General Babangida and his cohorts would have found it impossible to impose their choice on the country. That is to say the South East would have had its deserved chance to produce the post military President of the country. And since then the South East have never had a chance to produce the President of the country. Since then the unfortunate historical anomaly that led to the historic declaration of the nationalists and the entire country has never been addressed.
The South East have continued to be the whipping child.And Now!?History becones, To whom? To the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to ensure the consummation of the vision of its founding fathers!To the present Governors of the Party to ensure the actualization of the dream of its founding fathersTo the South and South East Governors to stand firm and united on the altar of Equity and Justice on which the PDP was founded,Above all to You – Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Stand by your declaration as recently reported in the Media. What you have stated is the PATH of HONOR and EQUITY. Your name will be written in GOLD in the annals of the history of this Federation not because you were a Head of State, but because you served the course of Justice and Equity when history demanded it most. Remember you were a prominent member of the G.34, the Harbinger of the PDP and today you stand as the Pillar and Father on which the PDP is anchored.
Through you and the other Stakeholders of the PDP, we say to the PDP -Only the Truth can save the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)!And Only a Peoples’ Democratic Party founded on the Altar of Truth and Justice can save the Nigerian Federation from imminent Collapse! PROF T. UZODINMA NWALA Pioneer Director of Organization and Strategy of the PDP April 10, 2022
