EKITI SOUTH DESERVES ITS OWN SHARE OF THE POWERFUL POSITION OF GOVERNOR

Ekiti state was created on october 1,1996 by late General Sani Abacha. After three years of creation, Nigeria returned to Democracy. Out of the three zones in the state, two zones(Ekiti Central and North) had been controlling the power affairs of the state since 15 years. It was only Ekiti South Senatorial District that has never produced a governor of the state.

Zoning or power shifting is the act of shifting or sharing political offices to various geo-political zones or districts in a bid to balance the political equation. For instance, Ikere Ekiti,one of the 16 local government areas of the state and the second largest city in the state adopted zoning from the military era till today Ikere has been using zoning principle to select their political officers to various districts, zoning still remains the best for Ikere town.

It is true that zoning of the office of the President or Governor is not in the Nigeria constitution, but it is in the constitution of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) that propounded it. I refer to the PDP constitution, Article 7 subsection 2(c) which states that in pursuance of the principle of Equity, Justice and Fairness, the party shall adhere to the policy of rotation and Zoning of party and public offices and it shall be enforced by the appropriate executive committee at all levels.(PDP constitution,1999 as amended).

Therefore, it must be stated point blank here that there is zoning and rotation every where, right from the National level through the various states to Local Government areas and electoral wards arrangements across the country. That Is why you have the National Chairman of the party from the North and the president of the country from south. The party constitution provides for the rotation of the officers to the National, State and local character of geo-political areas of the country. This is to ensure that the various posts and position go round all the geo-political locations for equity and Fairness. Therefore no section must feel cheated.

Event has also proven zoning as reality in the scheme of things in the party. For instance, we have State PDP chairman from Ekiti North and Minister appointed in the state from Ekiti Central which means while these two zones has been produced the two elected Governors each (Otunba Niyi Adebayo and Dr Ayo Fayose were from the Ekiti central while Engr Segun Oni and Present Governor Dr Kayode Fayemi were from the Ekiti North). It was only Ekiti South that has never produced a governor of the state.

Ekiti South deserves its own share of the powerful position of governor. How it is applied for the development of Ekiti State should only be analyzed when it has given the shot at it. PDP should select the candidate from Ekiti South Senatorial District, because it catches the interest of the majority of Ekiti democrats.

Also, In 1999,former President Olusegun Obasanjo was elected on the basis of zonal pacification. The three topmost political positions of president,vice president and senate president in Nigeria are currently occupied on basis of zoning and even civil society groups like Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU),Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC),Nigeria Bar Association(NBA) and National Association of Nigerian Students(NANS) have operated zoning in their leadership successions they have enjoyed over the years. Educationally, children from Ekiti state, Ondo state, etc., are deprived of their places in Federal Government Colleges because their less qualified counterparts from other states up North have to be included on basis of zoning. Suffice it to say that PDP as it is known today is not the architect of zoning arrangement in Nigeria politics.

Finally,Article 7.2 (c) a clear political question which only the relevant organ of the party could decide either at its primaries or by a decision of any organ of the party empowered to so choose. So, if PDP is ready to win the Forthcoming governorship election, the PDP NWC, and the Committee constituted for consensus to select the candidate should do what is right by accepting the demand of the Ekiti South Senatorial District to achieve equity, justice, and Fairness in the polity.