By: Valentine Adese (JP),
It was a simple request in April 2022 that all the registered political parties operating in Plateau State should conduct their Party Primaries in favour of the Central Zone of Plateau State and further Micro-zone it to Pankshin/Kanke/Kanam (PKK) Federal Constituency of Plateau State.
It was an opinion that was aimed at first of all separating Constitutional matters from Party Privileges and Consensual norms.
The record of the country has it that the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) was established with the aim of the Lawmakers to entrench or create geopolitical zones, senatorial districts, federal constituencies, state constituencies, and Federal Wards in the 1999 constitution in order to keep the federation intact in terms of political representation.
The same constitution from its provisions is silent on how the tribes within such political demarcations should collaborate and clot socio-politically. Many then, however, saw this request as a case of “ELECTORAL XENOPHOBIA”.
The agitators against this unharmful call/request saw it as “Ethnic Fear”, and that fortune seekers were attempting to forge an arrangement that is not supported by any historical facts and antecedents in the state, rather than seeing it as an opportunity for political parties in the state to create and enthrone geopolitical equity and good conscience among citizens.
It is a fact that Political parties intervene to encourage the unity and participation of citizens by introducing/prescribing the privilege of Rotation of Zoning. This is to the effect that it conduces cross-cultural cooperation, and understanding, and reduces tension and self-asserting agitations.
The quest for PKK to produce the various political parties’ gubernatorial candidates in April 2022 was not an attempt to avoid electoral justice by pleading micro zoning, but that this has been lavishly favored by the restoration of democracy since 1999.
It is a realism that the Ngas, who preferred this governorship position were not hiding under the political canopy of the PKK, but on the grounds of the sharing of democratic dividends, opportunities, and patronage among the citizens of the state.
As far as the Ngas were concerned, the position of Governor, come, 2023 is for the Plateau Central Zone, and it is open to all the constituent Local Government Areas (LGAs), and it is for all the contending Local Government Areas to decide.
The argument of the agitators then that “Not even the political parties 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, was food thrown out of the table for non-interested parties to discuss. As the request was also certainly not a matter of opportunity for any ethnic alarmists and frontiersmen to seek to appropriate to their tribe.
The office and responsibility of a Plateau State Governor is certainly not some low-hanging fruit as stated, where the mere wish of some cat burglars will get it to their pockets and this remains a fact.
However, now that the All Progressives Congress (APC) heeded to the request of the concerned masses and citizens of the state and elected Dr. Nentawa Yilwatda as its Governorship candidate and the concluded elections is been challenged at the Court of Appeal Arm of the Tribunal, and with hopes that Dr. Nentawe is COMING, is Nature not vindicating the proponents of the request?
TIME SHALL TELL!
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