Atiku Benefited From Zoning, Can’t Now Dismiss It — Okechukwu

A founding member of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Osita Okechukwu, has dismissed a statement credited to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar describing zoning as “self-defeating,” saying the position amounts to self-denial.

Okechukwu, a former Director General of the Voice of Nigeria, VON, made the remarks on Tuesday while responding to inquiries from journalists over Atiku’s comments on zoning.

He lamented that Atiku, whom he described as one of the major beneficiaries of zoning in Nigeria’s political history, would now question its relevance.

“How can one of the foremost beneficiaries of the zoning convention suddenly deny its profound significance in promoting national cohesion, inclusion, equity, peace, and justice?” he asked.

“In the public domain there is throughout history the law with its legal teeth and the convention with its moral weight governing human affairs. If there was no zoning arrangement, could Atiku have become Vice President?

“Has he forgotten why he stormed out of the PDP presidential primary process in 2014 and joined us in APC after President Goodluck Jonathan emerged as the party’s candidate?”

Reacting to Atiku’s reported statement that “The first and most obvious question is this: how does a Southern opposition candidate realistically unseat a sitting Southern president,” Okechukwu described the comment as identity politics.

According to him, such rhetoric undermines the purpose of zoning, which was designed to minimise regional and ethnic tensions in the country.

He said the statement was least expected from a statesman.

Okechukwu also faulted Atiku’s argument that the South would have held presidential power for about 18 years in the Fourth Republic by 2027, compared to about 10 years for the North.

He described the position as selective amnesia.

“And equity cannot be discussed in fragments or based on convenient arithmetic,” he stated.

The APC chieftain argued that Northern Nigeria had controlled power for more than four decades since independence in 1960, insisting that historical realities must be considered in discussions about equity and power rotation.