By: Hosea Nash,
The opportunity created by political parties to enthrone geopolitical equity and good conscience is about to be mangled by ethnic fear as fortune seekers attempt to forge an arrangement that is not supported by any historical facts and antecedents.
First of all, constitutional matters must be separated from Party privileges and consensual norms. The entrenchment, or creation of geopolitical zones, senatorial districts, federal constituencies, state constituencies, and Federal Wards in the 1999 constitution was to keep the federation intact in terms of political representation. The same constitution is silent on how the tribes within such political demarcations collaborate and coagulate socio-politically.
To a large extent, political parties intervene with privileges such as rotation or zoning. But not even the political parties prescribe zoning or rotation along the political prefabrications of Federal, State, or Wards. Rather, ethnic or cultural configuration is the predicate of zoning to the effect that it conduce cross-cultural cooperation, understanding, and reduces tension and self asserting agitations.
This makes the recent claim by some self-serving politicians of Fortune that any Party that zones especially it’s Gubernatorial ticket to Plateau Central Senatorial district has automatically micro zoned the position to Pankshin/ Kanke/Kanam Federal Constituency for the reason that Joshua Dariye (1999), and Soni Gwanle Tyoden (2015-2023), from Mangu/Bokkos Federal Constituency had occupied the positions of Governor and Deputy Governor respectively. This claim is basically expression of low self-esteem and electoral xenophobia.
Come to think of it, who is attempting to twist the records and stand history on the head? An excursion into history will throw up some truths and inalienable facts that are non-negotiable in this context. Even if the curtain is drawn against the era of General Yakubu Gowon as head of state, and Joseph Gomwalk as the military governor of the erstwhile Benue Plateau State for years in excess of present day term limits, PKK that is attempting to avoid electoral justice by pleading micro zoning, has been lavishly favored by the restoration of democracy since 1999.
From the primitive hold on the position of Senate to Secretary to the Government of the State, Heads of Commissions, Head of the state economy, Ambassadors to Chief of Staff to the governor, the Ngas, who prefer to hide under the political canopy of the PKK, have had a preponderant share of democracy dividends, opportunities, and patronage.
As far as the Plateau State is concerned, the position of Governor come 2023 is for the Plateau Central; and it is open to all the constituent local government areas. It is for all the contending Local Government Areas to decide; and certainly not a matter or opportunity for some ethnic alarmist and frontiersmen to seek to appropriate to their tribe. Not even the political party at the zonal level is conferred with such powers to contemplate “micro zoning”, let alone try to canvass it as a template to determine who should emerge as the party’s Gubernatorial candidate.
The State Executive Committee, SEC, is the highest decision making body of any party at the state level; and this is not replicated at the zonal level, thus every Party lacks the platform and authority to pronounce the dubious and clumsy arrangement such these authors of doomsday politics are recommending for PKK.
Thus, in the interest of justice and common sense, Central Plateau is urging the gang of ice cream sucking Guber aspirants to leave their funk hall of shotgun primary and face the ever eager army of dispassionate Plateau delegates. The office and responsibility of a Plateau state governor, is certainly not some low hanging fruits where the mere wish of some cat burglars will get it to their pockets. Shape up or ship out!
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