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PEOPLE AND POLITICS BY MOHAMMED HARUNA
Zoning and its Discontents
Any regular reader of this column knows it’s been consistently against power rotation, aka, zoning. Not because it is against our constitution, as many born-again democrats who were its staunchest proponents until President Goodluck Jonathan came along in May, have argued. It is not. Our constitution talks about sharing power not just horizontally among the three arms of government and vertically among the two-and-a-half levels of government (strictly speaking Local Governments should be creatures of State Governments.) The constitution talks about sharing power or jobs in a way that should reflect the plural character of our society. It does so in Section 14(3) for the centre and in Section 14(4) for the states and local government. The ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party’s (PDP) zoning arrangement is merely a reflection of this principle. And in itself this principle is not necessarily the enemy of merit, depending on how you define merit. Federal character becomes the enemy of merit only when it is implemented solely on the basis of where the potential beneficiary comes from or what he believes in. This column has been against zoning not because it is against our constitution or necessarily against merit. It is neither. The column has been anti-zoning because it invariably undermines democracy. Democracy means freedom to choose. Of course this freedom cannot and should not be absolute. Otherwise the result would be anarchy. The limits to one’s freedom of choice must, however, be reasonable and right. It is only reasonable and right that in representative democracy one’s choice should, for example, be limited to candidates who are sane and who are not criminals. It is not reasonable and right that one’s choice should be limited by where a candidate comes from or what he believes in. Democracy is give and take. It means cultivating those you know and those you don’t. It means cultivating those who trust you and those who don’t; per chance you may earn their trust. This means hard work and sincerity in reaching out across ethnic and religious divides, something which obviously today’s born-again democrats who were proponents and prime beneficiaries of zoning were not prepared to do. Clearly the lesson of the late Chief M.K.O. Abiola’s putative victory at the June 12 1993 presidential polls against his only rival, Alhaji Bashir Tofa, even in Tofa’s backyard was lost on these erstwhile champions of zoning in the heat of the widespread anger that the inexplicable cancellation of the results provoked. Even now that lesson seems still lost on the same lot. Otherwise their leading lights like former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, Chief Edwin Clerk and Chief Tony Anenih, would not resort, as they have been doing, to threats, half-truths and outright lies in their attempt to reverse their party’s zoning policy for no better reason than apparently wanting to remain the master puppeteers of our politics. Contrary to the claims by these elder statesmen, the PDP zoning arrangement was not merely a gentleman’s agreement. It was cast in cold print in Section 7(2)(c) of the party’s constitution. “In pursuance of the principle of equity, justice and fairness,” the section says, “the party shall adhere to the policy of rotation and zoning of Party and public elective offices and it shall be enforced by the appropriate executive committee at all levels.” It is therefore dishonourable and un-statesmanlike for Obasanjo, for example, to have claimed the other day in far away America that zoning was not a policy of his party or for Anenih to publish a full page advert in several national dailies, including Thisday of June 22, dismissing the arrangement as “purported.” Surely Obasanjo could not have forgotten so soon that at the December 10, 2005 convention of the party he told delegates, in effect, that as party leader he had the prerogative to interpret the party’s zoning formula. In case he had forgotten his exact words were: “As a party we must resist efforts by some individuals or groups to use their pedestrian understanding of power shift and power rotation to hold the country to ransom. When the time comes they should accord me, as the leader of the party, the opportunity to interpret our policy of power shift to suit the occasion which will definitely consider the seeming agitation of the North of the country.” Likewise Anenih couldn’t have forgotten so soon that the same zoning he has dismissed as “purported” in his paid advert was the same arrangement he instructed the party chairman, in a letter dated August 22, 2002, to strictly adhere to back in 2002, as was revealed recently by Daily Trust. Then as chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees, he spoke about the “sanctity of the PDP zoning arrangement” and told the chairman to use it as the guideline for the presidential primaries ahead of the 2007 elections. Elsewhere he said the presidency was to remain in the North till 2015. If these born-again champions of democracy who have been great beneficiaries of zoning were sincere with themselves they would admit the obvious fact that zoning was meant for zones not individuals. The Senate presidents and party chairmen that Obasanjo changed like soiled nappies, didn’t they have deputies? Yet were they not always replaced by others from their zones instead of having their deputies move up? Obviously there is something dishonest and hypocritical in the sudden discovery by these latter-day opponents of zoning that it is unconstitutional and that it never even existed in PDP’s constitution, to begin with. Likewise, those who argue that zoning is purely a PDP affair are being somewhat disingenuous. True, it is cast in cold print probably only in PDP’s constitution, but virtually all our political parties have used it in one form or another in filling their party offices and in filling public offices where they are in power.. By all means we should do away with zoning, a la PDP, if we want genuine democracy for our country. As the Christian Association of Nigeria (North), said in a communiqué on December 19, 2005, at a time when zoning was the fashion among its latter-day opponents, “The meeting is of the view that Nigerians should be allowed to contest for any position in the land especially that of the presidency regardless of which region they hail from. Regional hindrance should not be allowed to block the chances of good candidates in the land.” Clearly this was a principle stand against zoning; something you can hardly say of those who have now changed their minds about its value after they have benefited greatly from its implementation. They should spare us the hypocrisy of claiming to be the new champions of democracy.
Re: A Newbreed apart
Greetings Mallam Mohamed Haruna. It's not true that IBB has changed his views about the historic role and value of the 'new breed' segment of the political class. His well-horned critique of its disappointing performance from the Abacha era through the OBJ horrible legacy to date has been, as usual with the press mindset on anything IBB, badly twisted and made to hang! He believes in the potentials of the youths/new breed in the development process. Believe me on IBB's thoughts. Your 'footnote' on IBB being Prof Omoruyi's "student at the famous NIPSS" is incorrect. Omoruyi never taught at NIPSS. He and IBB were among the pioneer participants (course mates) in 1979/80; and they forged deep intellectual friendship from the 'Kuru connection'. Professor Sam Oyovbaire
Your today's article is very interesting,most especially
all you said about Hon. Isah Kawu. I am Yoruba from Oyo State but born and
brought up in Bida North which he is
representing. So I am a living witness to
all you said about him and that's why we want him to continue in 2011. Bisola Oni Salam,
I am writing to appreciate your column especially for your topic of last week (Isah Kawu) the gentleman of the day. Everything you said about him is true. I happen to know because many a times I have had course to interact with him whenever I went to the Niger State House of Assembly to defend my ministry's budget. He is everything you said of him. I wish him Allah's guidance and better opportunities in life to serve humanity.
Mohammed Sarki Bello
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