Analysing The Politics Of Zoning Presidency In Nigeria -By Shariff M.M Al-hassan

We must expand our scope of knowledge by not only be discussing about Niger state but to also discuss the ongoing discourse about our country Nigeria. My state is within Nigeria and if Nigeria is well, my state will be well. It is therefore imperative to add my voice to this very important National discourse.

Principally zoning arrangement is mainly aimed to give the Political Party smooth ride for internal party democracy. It is well recognized by the PDP as it specifically has it in her Party Constitution under section 3(1) of her Constitution. This zoning principle helped PDP in 1999 to get to power by producing Southern President, former President O.Obasanjo for eight years consecutively.

So also in her second bid it zoned it to the North and late former President Umaru Musa Yar’adua became the President but later died and his vice-president from the South through the Doctrine of Necessity was made to conclude his second term and went ahead to 2011 to contest for the presidency which he won that carried him to 29th May, 2015.In a way the South again got Presidency headed by the former President Dr. Ebele Goodluck Jonathan.

However, on the 29th May 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari captured the presidency and thus brought an end to the zoning system of PDP.
In short from 1999 -2007 the presidency was fully in the South. So also from 2007 – 2015 the Presidency was in the South. But as from the 2015 – 2019 and till now,the presidency has been in the North. Going by the zoning arrangements of PDP come 2023 they expected to have their President to come from the North as by section 3(1) of their Party Constitution.

However, the recent zoning of their National Chairman to the North suggested that the 2023 Presidency would be zoned to the South which ordinarily ought to be zoned to the South by their zoning principle. An affront to the provisions of their Party Constitution.

This in a way suggest that PDP is no more in marriage with their constitution any longer but strictly following the path of APC which is a clear fact that 2023’s presidency is for the South. Thus PDP want to have their President to be from the South too.

It may interest you to be intimated that,the PDP may argue that sometimes ago they had both the Chairman of the Party in person of former Governor Adamu Mu’azu of Bauchi State and former late President Umaru  Musa Yar’adua as both from the North. This could be due to the fact that:

i- At that time PDP was in full control of power than in Nigeria.
ii- It was one of them that was the President than with full control of the National Assembly and almost all the States also.
iii- That already late President Umaru Musa Yar’adua was already President and the possibility of any internal wrangling would not happen at all.These could be the glaring reasons for PDP to have acted so during that period. I don’t think they have any justifications this time round unless only to thrash it out with APC this time.

Therefore, let it be known that for them to get 2023, PDP has more work to do if indeed it want to take away 2023 presidency from APC to the North. I refer my readers to my article of 3rd October 2021captioned as ” MY CONTRIBUTION TO THE NOMINATION OF SOUTHERN PRESIDENTIAL ASPIRANT FOR 2023 GENERAL ELECTIONS IN NIGERIA ” Here I tried to give positive suggestions.