The Minority leader of the Senate, Senator Gorge Akume, on Friday kicked against the idea of jettisoning zoning being muted by some leaders of the All Progressives Congress for the emergence of the leadership of the coming 8th National Assembly.
It could be recalled that the APC National Leader, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and former National Chairman of the party, Chief Bisi Akande, had at separate media chats over the matter during the week hinted that the party was no longer thinking of zoning the position of Senate president and Speaker of theHouse of Representatives.
Rather, the party may conduct primary elections for contenders.
But Akume, in his reaction to the proposition at a media briefing in his Abuja residence, said such an idea runs contrary to the complexity and plurality of the Nigerian nation that are always put together through inclusive mechanism represented by zoning formula.
He argued that zoning was a concept introduced into the politics of Nigeria as a deliberate attempt of ensuring inclusion of every part of the country in governance.
This, according to him, should not be toyed with by the party leadership so as not to play into the hands of those who had earlier labeled it very negatively in recent past.
He said: “Zoning was a concept that was introduced in the politics of our country as a deliberate attempt to ensure inclusion.
“Do not forget that this is a country that is culturally very complex.
“It is structurally also complex.
“It is very diverse and if the diversity is not handled very appropriately and in very careful manner, it could also be a source of weakness.
“Even in advanced democracies, deliberate attempts are made to ensure the inclusion of certain disadvantaged and underprivileged persons.
“You also have affirmative action to ensure that every part of this country is included in government.
“The Constitution itself is very clear where it states that every state must be represented in the Council of State.
“It is very important because we have to take care of our diversity.
“And when you talk about zoning, you are not speaking outside of the framework of the examples I have given.
“We are talking about system that ensures that every section, every segment – be it cultural, religious or tribal – is represented in governance.”
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