Victor EzejaUnite Nigeria Group, a non-partisan organisation, has lent its voice to calls for zoning the 2023 Presidency to Southeast Nigeria.
The group which prides itself as non-tribal, made the call through a press statement of April 13, 2022 titled, “The Ethnological Realities of a President From the South East Zone,” which it also published in one of the national dailies.
It said that in recognition of the multi-diverse nature of the country, it is imperative to maintain the principle of power rotation among the existing geo-political zones, noting that only such practice would ensure the unity of the various parts.
On that note, the group said that based on the historical antecedent of access to power by the geo-political zones, South-east was in the right position to be given opportunity to produce the next president in 2023.
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It therefore, urged all political parties to zone their presidential tickets to the Southeast, adding that such political gesture would help address injustices and the attendant inequalities suffered by the region in the past.
The Unite Nigeria Group argued that the past socio-political realities of the country revealed that the principle of zoning guarantees peace, equity, fairness, justice and stability.
It further noted that for sustenance of democracy in Nigeria, rotation of power between all the component zones should be supported and maintained, as alienation leads to fear of domination by a group which threatens the unity of a nation.
The group said, “We must all support the South east to produce the president come 2023 because the concept of zoning in alternating our geo-ethnic composition as evident in our history, is a proven and realistic attempt aimed at aggregating and converging all diverse interests in our electoral processes and elections.
“We must all see our ethnological realities as they are, and by so doing, acknowledge that our country may never be properly integrated without an equal opportunity and chance for all its component units to produce leadership.”
“All the political parties while reserving the prerogative to nominate who becomes the president should consider zoning the position to the south east in 2023. However, the electoral process must be conducted in a way to reflect the federal character principles, equity, fairness, justice and inclusiveness. we advocate that the presidency shall rotate among the six-geo political zones, starting from the zones that have produced the position for the least number of years.”
The group said it has the conviction that Nigeria will benefit greatly in having a president come from the Southeast adding that if it’s actualized, the “country wil rise again to prominence; to its rightful position as a giant in the comity of nations, and as one united and indivisible, unbreakable entity.”
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
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