Lawmaker tags zoning as unconstitutional, says it’ll not work for Nigeria

A House of Representatives member representing Yewa South/Ipokia Federal Constituency of Ogun State, Hon Kolawole Lawal, has kicked against zoning in the forthcoming General Elections in 2023.

There have been discussions, and arguments on the issue of zoning the presidency either to the Northern or Southern part of the country.

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), had recently effectively zoned its presidential ticket to the Southern part of the country, when it zoned National chairmanship position of the party to the north in its forthcoming national convention.

Lawal, however, bared his mind on the national issue on Monday while speaking during the ‘Correspondents’ Roundtable’ organized by the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Federal Capital Territory Council, with the theme: “2023 and the zoning question,” in Abuja.

He said that zoning is unconstitutional, and will not offer Nigeria the result it desires.

He stated that if the country respects the dictates of the Federal Character Principle, there would not have been problem with zoning.

The lawmaker said: “What I have always said on zoning is that we have zoning at the convention, its like it is almost becoming a tradition. But it is not a constitutional matter; either in the 1999 constitution amended or the active constitution.

Read also: APC governors agree on March 26 convention date, zoning

“If there is sincerity in the issue of zoning, nobody would come out today from the Northern part of Nigeria to say they want to contest the 2023 presidential election of Nigeria. Even the PDP that started it, I am not sure it is in their constitution. If it is required in their constitution, like today now, Atiku will not be waiting to contest. In fact, yesterday he was in Ogun State, where he said he was going to come out soon.

“That is why I said there is no sincerity with the issue of zoning, and it is not on solid foundation, and therefore, not sacrosanct, even by those who say that they are practicing it.

“For instance, if you ask any PDP person today, they will say: “there is no issue of zoning, we want somebody that is competent, which is true, a competent person that can take Nigeria out of the woods, and there is no issue of zoning. That is why I said, yes, there is zoning but it is not documented, it is not something that can be proudly fought for.

“I have said it clearly that there is a particular reference in the Constitution that clearly took care of zoning. That is federal character principle. That is why it is established in the Constitution in Section 153(1C). Also for equitability and fair distribution of resources, we have Section 14(3), Section 147(3), Section 171(5), those should have taken care of issues surrounding equitable and fair distribution of resources and political appointments.

“Nigeria will be better off. We do not need new laws; we can be doing some amendments but we have all the laws that we need. But because of bad or poor implementation, that is why we are having agitation all over the place”.

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