Abdullahi Adamu, a former Nasarawa State governor, has said zoning presidency to any ethnic group is not in the constitution.
Adamu’s position comes amid calls for the major political parties in the country to zone their presidential ticket to the South-east ahead of the 2023 election.
The former governor, who is the senator representing Nasarawa West, who responded to a question on power shift to the south at a press briefing in Abuja on Monday, stated that the “constitution says you can only become president through the ballot box and every party must find a way of selling itself in a manner that will garner the kind of votes that will win the election”.
The lawmaker said he sympathizes with the South-east region that the region has not produced the president since 1999.
He, however, explained that zoning of the presidency is mere wishful thinking.
“My answer to that is constitution. Nowhere in the Nigerian constitution that says we should zone any public office,” he said.
“There is federal character, but not that parties must zone positions for presidency during election. The constitution is being reviewed. If you want a specific provision that a presidential position be zoned, you say it, and tell us how you want it to be zoned.
“You can’t just wish away a situation that is fundamental to a country. You can’t talk of merit and talk of zoning. You can’t. Let’s just go by merit. Let every party find a way of selling itself in a manner that will garner the votes that will win the election. It’s as simple as that.
“Do we have anything like that in the American constitution? Are we more democratic than them? It is democracy. Why do you want to change it? Wishful thinking only.
“Yes, somebody is saying the South East has not had a president. I agree, and I sympathise with them. But the constitution says you can only become president through the ballot box. And we have been saying it during elections that every vote must count. So, why do you want to zone? Zone your mind if you want to zone.”
