OPINION: 2023: Enugu and debate on gubernatorial zoning
With 2023 gradually setting, the debate of where the governorship seat should go has taken over the polity in Enugu state. There is an unwritten arrangement of equitable zoning among the three senatorial zones, namely: Enugu East, Enugu West and Enugu North.
Although, not constitutional, it has been playing a vital role in deciding the zone that would produce the governor of Enugu since 1999 when the military handed over power to civilians.
Since the inception of democracy, the founding fathers of the state in an agreement that the occupation of the office of Governor should be rotated among the three geo-political Zones. And with all three zones having tested the governorship position based equitably, however, the question on the lips of every Enugu indigene is now that every zone has taking a shot should Enugu north occupying the governorship hold onto power or the zoning start all over with Enugu east?
An indigene of the state who pleaded not to be mentioned said, ‘the Equity is that, no senatorial district should stay without power for more than 16, years.
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“Enugu East senatorial district produced Chimaroke Nnamani, now that they have waited for 16 years, power should go back to them. Our efforts should be on how to make sure that the marginalized areas are benefited. ‘Enugu west was the second to produce, going by 1999 political Arrangements. They cannot wait for more than 16 years. So, they follow Enugu east by rotation.
“Enugu north is now in power. They should not wait more than 16 years before Power return to them.
“My argument is that power goes back to Enugu East in 2023, I don’t support holding power back, after all, Ugwuanyi is the second governor of Nsukka extraction in Enugu State. Two others ruled old Anambra. How reasonable is it that they will be clamouring to hold it back when others have only one?
“If those clamouring for another Nsukka man, say Enugu north, to retain power 2023, they should tell us what they want to exchange it for because definitely, power is going back to those that had it first.
“Enugu East kick started the zoning arrangement in 1999 with Dr Chimaroke Nnamani who completed his constitutional first and second tenures in eight-years. At the expiration of his maximum eight years, he handed over to Bar Sullivan Chime from Enugu West, who after the expiration of an eight-year tenure, handed over the mantle of leadership to the incumbent governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi from Enugu North Senatorial Zone.
Following his victory in the 2019 general election, Ugwuanyi is on the verge of completing his maximum eight years in 2023, a development that will complete the circle of rotation among the three senatorial zones. Expectedly, Enugu state has been enmeshed in war of words from the three senatorial zone over the zone that will produce the next governor come 2023.
While some school of thoughts are arguing that the zoning arrangement should be retained on the ground that it made Enugu peaceful since 1999 it was adopted, others are arguing that it should start from any zone since every zone has tested the juicy position.
“Be that as it may, those who have been following political happenings in Enugu State since the inception of the current democratic dispensation believe that the issue of zoning, if not well handled, may truncate the peace and stability enjoyed in the state in the past 21 years.
Surprisingly, while this argument over zoning formula was still raging, indigenes of Enugu North Senatorial Zone under the aegis of Igbo Nsukka United Front (INUF) met recently and insisted that the zone will still produce the next governor in 2023, arguing that their position was based on the zoning arrangement in the State.
The Director-General of the socio-political group, Chineme Onyeke, who spoke on behalf of the group, stated that the senatorial zone would use dialogue and negotiation to convince political stakeholders and residents of the State that second round governorship zoning in 2023 should start from Enugu North zone. His words: “The first round of the governorship zoning in Enugu State started in 1999 and will end in 2023 and second round will start.
“From 1999 to 2007 Enugu East senatorial district produced Dr Chimaraoke Nnamani as governor, Gov Sullivan Chime from Enugu West Senatorial District governed the state from 2007 to 2015.
“Then the present governor of the state, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, from Enugu North Senatorial District started in 2015 and will complete his tenure in 2023.”
According to the DG of INUF, “since Enugu North was the last in the first round one of the governorship zonings it will be unfair for the zone to be the last again in the round two of the zoning that will start from 2023”
“Enugu North senatorial district having over 60 per cent of the state population was unfairly treated in 1999 as the governorship rotation could have started from the district since it has the highest population in Enugu State
“Enugu North district producing the governor in the round two of the governorship zoning is the only way to correct the unfair treatment and anomalies of 1999,” he said. The former Supervisor of Works in Nsukka Local Government said membership of INUF cut across the six local government areas that made up Enugu North senatorial district.
“The agenda of this front is to ensure that the district is given its rightful place in the state.
”INUF will resist any form of marginalization of Nsukka people as well as ensure that the district was not short-changed again in the political equation in Enugu State In 2023. He urged members to be always law abiding and ensure due process in all they do.”
We believe using negotiation and diplomacy in achieving our goals but if they fail we will resort to legal means since the group is a peaceful and law-abiding group. Reacting to the contentious issue, a Coalition of Enugu West Youth Organizations warned people they described as “desperate political jobbers” against continued attack on the former Deputy Senate President, Chief Ike Ekweremadu, and some other political leaders over the contentious issue of zoning of governorship position in Enugu State.
Close observers of Enugu Politics believe that though Ekweremadu, has not formally indicated any public interest in the governorship seat, the rumour making round especially after the former Deputy Senate President announced his retirement from the Senate to his constituents and Enugu political leaders during his 57th birthday in May 2019 and ahead of the inauguration of the current National Assembly and urged them to begin the search for his successor in 2023 early.
But, rising from their meeting, the Youth Coalition, in a communiqué signed by the Coordinator, Comrade Onyeabuchukwu Christian, and the Secretary, Comrade Izunna Umeokeke, warned that Ekweremadu should not be dragged into needless controversy as power belonged to God. Commenting on the issue of zoning, the group said:
“The vexed issue of zoning or who governs Enugu State in 2023 is in the hands of God, for power comes from God. However, it is not the business of any Enugu-West person to decide who governs Enugu state in faraway 2023 in terms of suggesting that it is not the turn of Enugu-West. When that time comes, the leaders of Enugu State will decide what happens.
“Specifically, we demand an immediate stop to the incessant spate of character assassination of our leaders. Not even Enugu East Senatorial Zone has been this agitated by the fever of zoning”, it added. They also enjoined Governor Ugwuanyi to do all within his powers to ensure that the political peace in Enugu did not dissipate owing to the activities of “some bad eggs”, who they said, were trying to cause confusion and disaffection between him some National Assembly Members as well as within the Enugu State PDP family.
Not left out in the agitation for the governorship position is Enugu East Senatorial Zone as the people of Awkunanaw clan comprising 21 communities in Enugu South and Nkanu West local government areas of Enugu State have already met and expressed confidence that Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, will be succeeded by somebody from Nkanuland in 2023 which is in Enugu east.
Representatives of the clan spoke when they presented an ‘Ofo’, a traditional symbol of authority, to Ugwuanyi as a sign of their support for his re-election bid during an event at Oboffia, the ancestral home of Awkunanaw people, on Friday. While presenting the Ofo to the governor at an event, chairman of Awkunanaw Traditional Rulers Council, Igwe Felix Nwobodo Ani observed that a second term for Ugwuanyi would pave way for the people of Nkanuland in Enugu east Senatorial Zone to produce the governor in 2023.
Also reacting to the issue, a former National Auditor of the Peoples Democratic Party , Barrister Ray Nnaji said, “We are talking of rotation and it comes to Enugu East senatorial zone, it is the majority in Enugu East that will determine who takes it. But if the majority says no, they will have no option than to wait for their time because they are minority and there is nothing they can do about it.
“Because if you try to shortchange the majority there will be problem. So you don’t do things because you feel you can do it; the minority and the majority I’ll agree ….if not because Chimaroke gave it to Udi/Ezzeagu they couldn’t have taken it. It’s only Chimaroke that has given power on a platter of gold and he paid dearly for it”.
As the agitations from the three senatorial zones continue to gather momentum, political pundits believe that the issue if not well handled, may end up destroying the peaceful political atmosphere that has been existing in Enugu since the inception of democratic rule.
By Moses Oyediran, Enugu for Daily Times
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