I sympathise with Igbo people, but zoning Presidency is unconstitutional – senator
The senator representing Nasarawa West in the National Assembly, Alhaji Abdullahi Adamu, has said though he sympathised with Igbo people on their quest to have a son of the ethnic group succeed President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023, he, however, said that zoning the Presidency to any ethnic group is unconstitutional.
Ahead of the 2023 general election, there had been calls in political circles that the presidency be zoned to the South East, since the region has never held the position since 1999.
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Speaking on the issue, on Monday, at a media briefing, in Abuja, Sen. Adamu, who is also a former Governor of Nasarawa State said there was no provision in the nation’s constitution for zoning and anyone seeking to be president could only achieve that through popular ballot.
According to the senator, “Nowhere in the Nigerian constitution does it say we should zone any public office.
“There is federal character, but not that parties must zone positions for presidency during election.
“Yes, somebody is saying the east has not had a president. I agree and I sympathise. But the constitution says you can only become president through the ballot box.
“We have been saying it during elections that every vote must count. So, why do you want to zone?
“Let us just go by merit. Let every party find a way of selling itself in a manner that will garner the kind of votes that will win the election. It is as simple as that.
“Do we have anything like that in the American constitution? It is democracy. Why do you want to change it? Wishful thinking only. How do you zone it?” he asked.
