Zoning: ‘Southeast, Northeast, Northcentral entitled to Presidential tickets’ says CSOs

For Nigeria to follow the true formula of power sharing, political party presidential tickets should be zoned to the Southeast or other regions that have not produced President since 1999.

The Public Relations Officer of the Coalition of Civil Society Groups, Mr. Femi Oshabinu stated this in an interview with Voice of Nigeria (VON).

Mr. Oshabinu who went back in history said the Southwest, Northwest and South-south have produced presidents in Nigeria.

However the Southeast which has one of the major ethnic groups in Nigeria, the Northeast and Northcentral have not produced the President.

“For the masses, the implication of the issue of zoning is that other regions also have the right to power.

“History has it that such regions are also entitled to power because the Southeast is also there in the south. So even if APC is discussing zoning now, the priority of zoning in the south, if it is not Southeast then it is politics of ‘anybody can contest and become president.’ “

He further clarifies the history of zoning in Nigeria. “If a party is talking about zoning, as far as Nigeria is concerned in this democratic dispensation, Southwest had it in 1999.

“By 2007, it came to the North then to the South-south, then back to the North in 2015. If we are talking about history again by elongation since 1966, the Southeast has not tasted power. 

“So if APC picks a candidate from Southwest or south-south then there is no moral justification for Nigeria to considering that zoning a perfect one,” he said.

He advised Nigerians to vote for candidates from any region based on their personal arguments and understanding of justice in the Nigerian story.

It is worthy of note that Nigeria’s governing party, the All Progressives Congress, APC, has zoned its presidential ticket to the South and most of the aspirants that have indicated interest to run for the position are from the Southwest and South-south.

Meanwhile for the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, reports indicate that the party has thrown its presidential ticket open to all regions.

E/Suzan O.