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A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and Director-General of Voice of Nigeria, VON, Mr. Osita Okechukwu has warned that any attempt to scrap or abolish Zoning in the allocation of political offices will have a boomerang effect on the nation’s democracy.
Giving the warning in an interview with the SATURDAY SUN, Okechukwu who was reacting to the increasing calls for scrapping of Zoning from the nation’s political system said abolition of the policy will have grave consequences. He also spoke on other national issues with TUNDE THOMAS.
What is your reaction to Gov. Nasir El-Rufai’s recent call for scrapping or abolition of Zoning?
Gov. El-Rufai is my big brother. We were together in the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) family. However on his call for scrapping or abolition of the zoning convention between the southern belt and northern belt in Nigeria, my submission is that he and his ilk seem more or less to be swimming against the tide of the core ligament of our democracy.
For me and those patriots who place the unity of our dear country above personal political interest, our understanding is that the zoning convention was a doctrine of necessity constructed as democracy ligament with the sole objective of creating a sense of belonging, harmony and unity for Nigeria. The zoning convention is no doubt a ligament which lubricates our fractious fledgling democracy.
It will be recalled that the foundation for zoning convention was laid by patriots who reasoned that power should rotate from northern belt to southern belt in 1999; consequent upon successive military regime, with Heads of State, mostly from the north. And to heal the wounds emanating from the annulment of June 12 presidential election won by Chief M.K.O. Abiola of blessed memory, the zoning convention started from the South West geopolitical zone.
One remembers vividly how Alhaji Abubakar Rimi, Dr Olusola Saraki, Adamu Ciroma, Umaru Shinkafi and other prominent northerners were dissuaded from contesting for president in 1999, whereby their personal ambitions were sacrificed for collective interest of all. This healing balm therefore made only Chiefs Olusegun Obasanjo and Olu Falae the contestants. And to spice it, and to demonstrate that the option was mainly for national interest, Chief Obasanjo that won, got scanty votes from his South-West constituency and more votes from other geopolitical zones. That’s the uncommon spirit of the oneness exhibited.
The El-Rufai I know is a patriot, one of those who think and dream for great and prosperous Nigeria, second by second and 24/7; so I am at a loss how he joined those who apparently gloss over the raison detre of the zoning convention. One assumes they’re not saying that we have cemented the fault lines bedeviling our dear country or that there are certain geopolitical zones of Nigeria in deficit of qualified men and women who can be voted to preside over Nigeria. If my assumption is wrong then let the zoning convention stand, until a time the fault lines are smoothened.
Zoning as a convention may not be etched in any constitution, but has its moral weight, unlike the law which is written. Hence, in the political domain, there has always been throughout history the contention between the law and the convention, whereas the law has its legal teeth which can used to prosecute and jail, the convention has its moral weight which most times turn the tide against recalcitrant actors.
For instance when the former president, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and his handlers wittingly or unwittingly glossed over and breached the zoning convention in 2015 and went ahead to pick up presidential ticket, some patriots like Chief Obasanjo cried foul. The outcome was that even states which President Muhammadu Buhari never won in his previous attempts easily voted for him.
What is the implication of scrapping of zoning?
I think that those who want to breach the zoning convention which more than any other factor has made our democracy uninterrupted in the last twenty years, rated as unprecedented, should go to any of the fringe or missionary political parties and spare us time and leave the two dominant political parties -All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) out of their more or less unpatriotic scheme.
My prediction is that any of the two major political parties which takes the risk and mindlessly breaches the zoning convention will most likely suffer the fate which the PDP suffered in 2015, when they breached the zoning convention.
2023 is therefore the turn of the southern belt, in order to harmoniously preserve the corporate entity of our dear country.
Elder statesman, and former governor of Anambra State, Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife in a recent interview with the SATURDAY SUN said Igbo will cease to be citizens of Nigeria if they are denied 2023 presidency, what’s your take on that?
Let’s start by cautioning over extremism in our advocacy for Nigeria president of Igbo extraction. Caution is important for us to construct the necessary consensus support, in a multi-ethnic society, especially when the zoning and rotation convention favours South East more than any other geo-political zone in the Southern belt. Otherwise, His Excellency Ezeife’s advocacy for Nigeria president of Igbo extraction has my support, except his threat for exit. I’m not a separatist, and I subscribe to the axiom that when Nigeria prospers, Ndigbo will be one of the greatest beneficiaries. Igbo are foremost Nigerian patriots, everywhere is our home, we invest wherever we live.
Truly, 2023 is the quickest date for the reconciliation, building consensus and creating sense of belonging for Ndigbo post Nigeria civil war. Nigeria as a community will be the greatest beneficiary of Nigeria president of Igbo extraction. There are ethnic jingoists amongst us, however, we are more Nigerian in the hard fact than any other ethnic group.
Chief Ezeife’s advocacy, minus threat is better than the un-statesmanlike and less than pragmatic position of Chief Nnia Nwodo, President General of Ohaneze, who was quoted lately as saying that he doesn’t want Igbo president in 2023 under what he termed false federation or constitution.
What do you mean by saying that the South East is favoured more than other geopolitical zones, when it is being reported that some aspirants especially from the South West are warming up for 2023?
My take is that both the APC and President Buhari will be fair to the South-East The Buhari I know is a systems man, a man of peace and harmony who will respect the core values upon which the zoning convention was built in 1999. I think he cannot use his presidential powers to stop our great party the All Progressives Congress to adhere to the zoning convention. Therefore, it is left for Ndigbo in the APC, PDP and other parties to work towards gaining the presidential nomination of our various political parties. This is the goal to pursue, work and lobby for, not threats or grandstanding.
Basically, with lengthy years of military rule, capped with annulment of June 12 presidential election, Nigerian patriots, we may recall at the eve of the 4th Republic, thought it wise to construct the zoning convention by proclaiming that the presidency should rotate between the south and the northern belt and vice versa. In 1999, it started with the south, to be specific south west, and since then, in spite of Umaru Musa Yar’adua’s unfortunate exit, subsists till date.
But how do you react to statements by some groups from the North that the presidency will still remain in the North in 2023?
One of the indices one cherishes in democracy is freedom of speech, freedom of association and freedom of opinion. Accordingly, those who canvass retention of presidency in the north are constitutionally and validly entitled to their advocacy. However, the core values of peace and harmony of our dear country override those indices. I keep on telling my northern friends the advantages of a Nigeria president of Igbo extraction. Among the cogent advantages of comprehensive reconciliation of Ndigbo to the Nigerian community is the uncommon qualities of an Igbo.
What are those qualities that you think will endear other Nigerians to Ndigbo?
A Nigeria president of Igbo extraction will exhibit excellently equity, hardwork and uncommon entrepreneurship. These are qualities required to advance, consolidate and deepen the foundation for critical infrastructure which Mr President is laying. Nigeria needs a passionate president post-Buhari, to consolidate the gains made by sterling integrity quotient of Mr President.
This is a president who has embarked on the most massive critical infrastructural development since independence. Buhari’s administration has constructed 5,000 kilometers of federal roads, 5,000 kilometers of standard gauge rail lines, additional 5,000 megawatts of electricity and agrarian revolution. He needs a hard worker and an entrepreneurial spirit not only to sustain this landmark and ambitious projects, but to also spread it nationwide and advance it. This is where Igbo excel, without being immodest.
A lot of people have been mentioning former Governor Rochas Okorocha as one of the likely Igbo to inherit presidency from Buhari, but I don’t want to discuss my big brother Okorocha, suffice it to say that only Almighty God will decide who Nigerians will choose from the large Igbo stock to succeed Buhari. Don’t forget that the Yoruba didn’t vote for Obasanjo in 1999, which means that fortune will determine the Nigerian vote-pendulum. This is why I said that the likes of Chief Ezeife should stop grandstanding and get to work in order to actualise the Ndigbo dream.
Many APC members across the country, and some other concerned Nigerians have expressed concern about the alleged rift between Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, and Edo state governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki ,what’s your take on the crisis, and what do you think is the way out?
Comrade Oshiomhole has my sympathy, because it seems he suffers from narcissism. He ought to have allowed Obaseki to run his government without interference .Otherwise the history of godfatherism since our return to democracy has been on the negative side. Anyone with sense of history will not allow himself to get embroiled in backyard warfare with his governor like Oshomhole is doing. Governor Obaseki has exposed Oshiomhole’s underbelly. We now know why Oshiomhole appointed over nine Edo State members of APC as chairmen of the States election panel looking into complaints arising from APC primaries across the country after the last general elections. It is now obvious those appointments is akin to something like job for boys ‘marginalized’ at home by the governor. The boys had to be compensated, since the reports we were always hearing or reading is that Obaseki is tight fisted. He is a technocrat only interested in projects and not stomach infrastructure they claimed, hence they have to be compensated by Oshiomhole who is now using some of them to create problems for the governor in Edo state. But my final take on the crisis is that Oshiomhole should let Obaseki be.
Former President Obasanjo, and Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka recently called for the convocation of a national conference to discuss Nigeria’s worsening socio-economic challenges following growing insecurity across the country, how do you react to that?
To me there is nothing wrong when elder statesmen advise Mr President, however there are better ways to canvass for the security and stability of our dear country. What a lot of those who advocate for national conference hope to achieve can be achieved via the National Assembly, if we work towards consensus. The only snag is that it takes time and some people have no patience and sense of history. Sense of history to the fact that issues which are dear to their heart like regionalism has failed in the past and will fail again. It failed in Abacha and Jonathan 2014 celebrated conference.
