2019: Why I’m against zoning in Nasarawa State – Wadada

Former Member of the House of Representatives, Honourable Aliyu Wadada has stated that zoning of elective offices in Nasarawa State would negate the principle of democracy that allows the electorate to elect whoever they so desire to represent them. The gubernatorial aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) also said zoning does represent the accepted tenets of democracy whereby the people determine, based on certain criteria, the person they deem capacity and willing to represent them at all levels of representative government. First and foremost, I don’t believe in zoning because zoning does not represent the accepted tenets of democracy. Secondly, my political aspiration that saw me get to the House of Representatives in 2003 was against zoning because when I made my ambition public some people are grumbling. “They were saying how can you come from the same ward with the governor and want to aspire for the House of Representatives? They put up the argument because then, Abdullahi Adamu was the governor of the state”, he said stating that those insisting in zoning for selfish reasons tend to forget that there is no constitutional provision as zoning. “I recalled in 2003 that my insistence was, ‘show me where the constitution of Nigeria or PDP constitution stopped me from doing that?’ They had nothing to show me so I continued and eventually emerged victorious and got elected to the House of Representatives”, he said noting that the same situation still applies today. According to him, since the return of democracy certain people have always insisted on zoning and recalled in particular that people from Akwanga have contested elections against aspirants in the past without minding zoning arrangements. “Above all, zoning it to who, for who, and why? For all the elections that took place in Nasarawa state from 1999 to date they people of Akwanga zone have participated in all. “They aspired against Abdullahi Adamu the two times he ran as governor, they aspired with Aliyu Doma the two times he aspired, they aspired against Tanko Almakura the two times he has run for governor. So what is the basis for insisting on zoning now? If they had won they would had have it so what are we talking about?”, he queried. Further, he said: “I love the people of Nasarawa North, they are my brothers, I have uncles there, I have aunties there, I have friends there, I have school mates there, I have elders there and of course, they are people of Nasarawa state. But there is nothing like leave it for us in democracy, come for it, go for it, if you get it you have it.” The gubernatorial aspirant said should his party, the APC, insist on zoning the governorship to a particular area “then that means that the APC will also be acting undemocratic”.