A Chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC) and a Board of Trustees (BOT) member, Gen. Joseph Okoloagu rtd, has said that any of the senatorial zones in Enugu state is ripe to produce the governor, come 2023 now that all the zones have had a shot at the governorship position since 1999.
Okoloagu who stated this in an interview, noted that power rotation is good in a fledgling democracy, pointing out that rotation of power is not necessary in a stable and suitable democracy.
To eschew acrimony and chaos, Okoloagu said it was better for the state to continue to maintain what he described as “triangular equilibrium” to ensure that peace reigns in the state, noting however that rotation was the arrangement of PDP, the ruling party in the state.
He advised that now that the governorship has rotated among the three senatorial zones, there should be a broad base meeting of stakeholders to discuss if the status quo should be maintained or whether it should be thrown open for all to contest.
“Let me tell you one thing, rotation or zoning is very important in a democracy that is not stable. And that is why the Igbo are saying, they also want to have a shot at presidency because it has rotated from North and West and hasn’t come to South East. In Enugu state, if we maintain the zoning or rotation formula until there is a stable democracy, it will help us to have less acrimony in the state but don’t compel me to work with a rotation or zoning formula of a party I don’t belong.
“What I should recommend is a cultural or triangular equilibrium that they used for Enugu state, rotation or zoning to ensure stability.
“As it is now every zone has gone, so any zone can start it. There is no law saying it’s the right of any zone but you can’t start it without talking about it. If you want the zoning formula to be effective, there is need for a meeting of political stakeholders who will get together and discuss it for the interest of the younger generation. If you look at it passionately, every cultural zone will go and look for it’s best.
“What borders me in Enugu state is that there is no competition, once you get ticket in PDP, you’re already elected. It borders me and sometimes, I don’t like discussing all these. If there is no competition in democratic governance, we are going nowhere. The way I am seeing it, people have started lobbing Ugwuanyi to succeed him”, Okoloagu said.
