The Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE) has said the zoning arrangement for the position of president of Nigeria between the North and South is not dead and buried, saying it is the way to go if the country will continue to make progress. Secretary-General of YCE, Dr. Kunle Olajide, made the disclosure in an interview with Saturday Sun on Friday, following the comment made by an elder statesman, Prof. Ango Abdullahi, who asked political parties to jettison zoning of their presidential tickets on the grounds that power shift arrangement is dead and buried. Abdullahi, who is the convener of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), stated this in his Zaria, Kaduna State, when he hosted the leadership of the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG).
His words: “The issue of zoning or power shift is dead and buried. Candidates should be allowed to contest election on the basis of merit of their competence and not where they come from. Hence the Northern Elders Forum is of the opinion that the presidential position should be left open for standard norms of democratic process.”
But Olajide, in his reaction, said: “Who gave Ango Abdullahi authority to say that zoning is dead? How did he arrive at that conclusion? Zoning exists because we realise that we are different people and we must learn to accommodate one another, and ensure that all parts of this country have access to the highest political positions.
“Anyway, from day one, zoning was never in the constitution. It was an understanding because the fact is that we are different peoples, who came together and we have lived together for over 100 years. There is no reason why we cannot continue to live successfully.
“And if we must continue to live successfully, we must have the spirit of give and take, by all sections of this country. In other words, nobody would hold any position and claim it is his birthright forever. It is the spirit of give and take, live and let’s live, that can allow this country to make progress and continue to prosper.”
He reiterated his support for any candidate from any part of the South.
(The Sun)
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