Senator representing Borno South and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Army, Ali Ndume, has said that zoning should not even be a subject of debate since the North is the major beneficiary of the zoning arrangement.
Ndume made the statement in an interview with Daily Trust in response to Mamman Daura's recent statement suggesting that zoning be scrapped in favor of competence ahead of future elections in the country.
However, in his own submit, the Borno South Senator said it would be unfair and injustice to deny the South the opportunity to produce the next president considering the North already enjoyed such privilege.
He said, “To me, as a founding member of the APC that witnessed the first convention where the presidency was deliberately zoned to the North and four candidates from the region: President Muhammadu Buhari, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and Sam Nda-Isaiah, slugged it out, with Rochas Okorocha exercising his constitutional rights.
“I, Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume, I feel that it would not be fair, equitable and just to field a northern candidate for the presidency in APC, 2023. To me, fielding a northern candidate will be tantamount to third term; which is unconstitutional.”
He further said the fairest thing was to allow southerners to slug it out among themselves for the 2023 presidential ticket of the APC.
Sen. Ndume added that, “For me, I have drawn the line already because everybody will stand before God and account for his deeds. We supported the zoning of the presidency to the North and we supported the president and he is spending his eight years in line with the constitution of the country.
“By extension, the North is only allowed to serve two terms. So, if a northerner comes in again, it does not matter whether the person is Buhari or not, or a new name, that would mean that the North is going in for a third term; which is unconstitutional.”
