The Governor of Kaduna State Nasir El-rufai has lent his voice to anxieties over the zoning of elective offices ahead 2023 general elections.
Speaking at a plenary session on “Rethinking Sub-National Competitiveness” at the ongoing Nigerian Economic Summit, the Governor suggested that “everyone should be given an equal opportunity” to run for office, and not based on ethnicity.
According to him: “Zoning in political parties cannot solve the economic problems we are facing. Selecting the best person to get the job done will benefit everyone.”
“The best we can do is to give everyone an equal opportunity,” he added.
On his part, Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola said the Nigerian Constitution did not preclude anyone from the six geopolitical zones to vie for the highest political office in the country.
Speaking to newsmen in Abuja, the former Lagos State governor said: “First let’s talk about law, let’s talk about the agreement, the law is the Constitution.
“The Constitution decides the age which you can contest certain offices and there is nothing in the Constitution that says zoning. All our political parties, political parties are clubs where you write agreements just like a social club and we can decide that it is the youngest person who will be the Chairman of the Club or we can decide that it is the oldest person or the next female or the next male, that is the matter of agreement between people.
“But the Constitution that sets up the climate of political parties formation does not prescribe zoning. The truth is that what makes an agreement specification is the honour in which it is made not whether it is written. If it was written, there would be no Court cases of breach of contract because it’s a document that is written and signed that go to court. But the private agreement you make with your brother and sister can be breached.”
He however appealed to the political elite to show fidelity to the gentleman agreement in their respective political parties.
