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2023: Group Pressures Political Parties To Zone Presidency To South
With major political parties still undecided on the zoning formula for the 2023 presidency, a group under the auspices of Concerned Nigeria Citizens (CNC) has insisted that parties should zone their presidential slots to the South for the sake of justice and fairness.
The group argued that since the North has had its fair share of the country’s leadership for the past seven years, it’s only fair to zone the Presidency to the Southern part of the country for the next political dispensation.
While finalising plans to stage a mass rally, today in Abuja, to drive home their position, the group noted that since the return to civil rule in 1999, there has been an unwritten conventional way for power rotation between the North and South, adding that it is worrisome how most political parties are playing down the zoning arrangement with a sentiment of selfishness.
Addressing a press conference at the Secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), FCT, yesterday, the Convener, Femi Osabinu, said the voting pattern of Nigerians may largely tilt towards where political parties zone their presidential candidates in the forthcoming general election.
Osabinu said, “We have watched with keen interest various agitations across the zones of our federating units, positions of our renowned ethnic nationalities on the need to zone the Presidency to Southern part of the country come 2023.
“We have also noticed how unstable and highly political most of our political parties are responding to the call for power rotation, this has made us come together to lend our voice to the voice of reasoning, the voice of unified Nigeria and greater Nigeria by urging all concerned political parties to zone Presidency to the South.
“There is no superior argument for this at times like this in the anal of our history because there is no doubt that the North has had its fair share of the country leadership for the past seven years and now it is time to zone the Presidency to the Southern part of Nigeria at this point of our history as a nation.
“Since the return to civil rule in 1999, there has been an unwritten conventional way for power rotation between the North and South. It baffles us that as the debate intensifies and party national conventions draw nearer, most political parties are planning to play down the zoning arrangement with selfish excuses of population spread across the country.
“Political gladiators across the divide have taken up arms and fight via exchange of words on power rotation. Some want it to remain in the North, while others want it back to the South for equality’s sake.
“Presidential election in Nigeria is highly influential and powerful as we all confer the greatest sense of belonging to the federation on any ethnic or geopolitical zone that produces the president. This no doubt has deepened the agitation for power shift by various regions and we thus resolve to implore all major political parties to have a deep think ahead of their national conventions to ensure that power rotates to the south as this will ensure that the country remains united and sense of belonging is given to all by zoning the Presidential tickets to the Southern part of the country come 2023.
“While we know power is not given on a platter of gold, we will deploy our structures across the country and within the various parties to further project the call and agitation to save the soul of the country. The northern region has been in power since 2015 and after exhausting the constitutional eight years by 2023, it is expected that power will rotate to the South. This is lawful and can guarantee peace and unity of the country not the contrary”.
Speaking further, the convener of the group said there would not be either APC, PDP or any other political party if there is no country called Nigeria, stressing that national interest must override the personal interests of those pushing parties to jettison the conventional rotation agenda of Presidency.
“We urge all political parties to follow what will retain the unity of the country and zone the presidency to southern states come 2023. Parties should stop playing politics with Nigerians,” he appealed in his address.
Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.