The drama that played out in the lower chamber of the national assembly where, against the ruling Peoples Democratic Party’s, directive, members overwhelmingly voted Aminu Waziri Tambuwal from Sokoto state, as the speaker, is a pointer to what lies in the pipeline for the nation in the aftermath of President Goodluck Jonathan’s decision to rock the boat of the country’s stability when he contested and won the presidential election.
Although, some may explain it away as the triumph of democracy and a statement against the culture of imposition in the PDP, the truth, in my opinion, is that northern elements in the lower chamber subtly banked on President Jonathan’s precedence when he jettisoned the zoning policy of the party.
While Jonathan told the whole world that the number one citizen could come from any part of the country, regardless of the zoning arrangement within his party which many believe had contributed to the stability of the country, just to achieve his personal ambition, he wanted the same policy to be applied in the selection of the leadership of the national assembly.
Hiding under the slogan “party supremacy” the president and his fellow journeymen in the PDP, zoned the speakership position to the southwest and went ahead to impose an unpopular candidate on the members.
Why shouldn’t the leadership of the NASS emerge from any part of the country now when it did in the case of the executive?
Zoning was buried long time ago when Jonathan stepped into the presidential race. And to attempt to bring it back under another guise, to say the least, is the peak of hypocrisy.
I once wrote on this blog that the entrance of Jonathan into the race may end up fragmenting the country. I had also written that, on the surface, the argument put forward by Jonathan that all Nigerians irrespective of the regions they come from should be free to contest the presidential election as stipulated in the country’s constitution was tenable and in fact incontrovertible.
However, the reality on ground is that the relative political stability Nigeria has been enjoying since 1999 when the military handed over power to civilians might not have come without the zoning arrangement, though an internal affair of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
The fragmenting of the country, by one man’s ambition to rule, was clearly pronounced in the pattern of voting in the last election. The ethno-religious fault lines of the country became more manifest with the north lining behind General Buhari and the south, Jonathan.
Again, the post-presidential election violence that greeted the announcement of President Jonathan as the winner, which claimed over 520 lives, according to the Police authorities, might have been averted or even not occur had he respected the zoning policy of his party. If a northerner had run on the platform of the PDP against General Buhari and won I am certain that no single soul would have been lost because it was north versus north.
I fear for the country. The boat of its stability had been rocked. By 2015 when zoning will not be a criterion for selecting the next president, the country may disintegrate further. I pray it does not break and if it does, JONATHAN SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE!
But, mind you, I had said it before that I am not an advocate of zoning and I reiterate same now. What I advocate is that if the principle will bring up quality leadership for the country and help sustain its unity, it should be fully embraced but if not, then it should have no place in our consciousness.
