A’Ibom Guber Race: Candidates Rejects Zoning … Press For Reforms

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By UbongAbasi Ise
Mr. Iboro Otu, the gubernatorial candidate of the Abundant Nigeria Renewal Party, ANRP, who is from Akwa Ibom Northwest (Ikot Ekpene) Senatorial District, has justified his involvement in the just concluded election, condemning the rotational zoning of governorship position in the state base on geo-political formations.
While fielding questions from journalists in Uyo over weekend during a world press conference he co-hosted with the gubernatorial candidate of Young Democratic Party, Arc. Ezekiel Nyaetok, who is also from Ikot Ekpene senatorial district, Mr. Otu said zoning of offices is only a policy adopted internally by certain political parties, noting that his own party, ANRP, including his counterpart’s YDP, have not observed such political arrangement, hence, their contestation in this year’s gubernatorial race.
It would be recalled that since 1999 when democracy returned after military junta, the governorship position in Akwa Ibom State appears to be under the influence of 8-year zoning arrangement rotated based on three senatorial districts in the state, with Arc. Victor Attah, from Akwa Ibom Northeast (Uyo) Senatorial District, governing from 1999 to 2007; following by Chief Godswill Akpabio, from Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District, who did his two-terms from 2007 to 2015; while Mr. Udom Emmanuel, from Akwa Ibom South (Eket) Senatorial District is currently on his first term in office.
While some pundits are of the opinion that the administrative period of 2015 to 2023 should be reserved only for candidates from Eket Senatorial District, Mr. Iboro Otu believes zoning is unfair to the people and the democracy, maintaining that it precludes those with good leadership qualities from contesting the critical position of governorship.
“To be honest, the issues we have are not about zoning; it’s not about political party. Akwa Ibom State should be our political party. We should find leaders that can serve people and bring solutions to the problems that we have.
“If there is someone from a zone, that can’t rule, and can’t serve the people but we have some smart people in other areas, it doesn’t means we can’t engage those people. I believe it is unfair to our people, it is unfair for our democracy and it is not democratic in itself,” he said.
Arc. Ezekiel Nyaetok of YDP, while stressing endemic poverty in the state, advocated for social governance, saying it is the government that seeks to create the middle class not by pulling the rich down but by pushing the poor up. He suggested that this could be achieved by creating enabling environment for the rich to get richer but tax them to get money to empower the poor.
According to Nyaetok, just as the imprint of the logo of Standard Organisation of Nigeria, SON, attests to the authenticity and safety of a product, he hopes for a time in which candidates seeking elective positions in Nigeria will have their campaign bill boards emblematized with the logo of Social Governance as a prove of acceptance and believe in the ideals of the Social Governance ideology.

He further suggested that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, should limit political campaign rallies to just two events to avoid distracting governance while emphasis should be laid on the town-hall meetings.
“INEC should place institutional embargo on multiple rallies prior to elections because the conduct of numerous political rallies is usually a distraction to the incumbent government much as it also trivializes the electoral process.  INEC should reduce the number of political rallies to a maximum of two (2) being Opening and Closing rallies.  Retail campaign which include town hall meetings and door to door campaign should be undertaken by candidates to compliment the limited number of rallies prescribed,” he said.

©The Sensor Newspaper


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