By Princely Onyenwe, Abuja
Information reveales that other States in the South-East have to the best of their abilities addressed the issue of equity and social justice in the governance of their states.
It is noteworthy to acknowledge that Enugu State has a gentlemanly standing zoning arrangement for the office of the governor.
Yes, the three governors that have presided over Enugu State so far hail from three different zones. While Chimaroke Nnamani is from Enugu East, Sullivan Chime and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi are from Enugu Central and Enugu North zones respectively.
DURUEBUBE UZI I na ABOSHI CHIMAZURU Nnadi-Oforgu Reveales The Odd State Of Affairs In Imo State Politics (The Owerri Zone Factor) stating that it has to be balanced, although not easy, cannot be wished away. Given the delicate nature of our democratic realities and a subtle winner takes it all mindset, any State that relegates zoning principles, does so at her own peril.
Anambra State also applied the same equity principle in her guber decisions and elections. Former governors Chinwoke Mbadinuju and Virginia Etiaba hail from Anambra South, Peter Obi and Chris Ngige are from Anambra Central and Willie Obiano is from Anambra North.
Just recently, owing to the fact that Anambra South through Mbadinuju was not able to complete its constitutionally allowed eight-years of two tenures, all major parties in the last elections mostly gave their tickets to candidates from Anambra South in an election which has now produced former CBN governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo as Governor.
Similarly, Ebonyi State as we all know has a long standing zoning arrangement for the governorship position.
Governor Sam Egwu from Ebonyi North zone governed the state from 1999 to 2007. He was succeeded by Martin Elechi from Ebonyi Central who presided over the State from 2007 to 2015. The incumbent Governor, Dave Umahi, who took office in 2015, hails from Ebonyi South. Already, most of those eyeing the 2023 elections all point to the inevitable reality that the office of the Governor will return to Ebonyi North in 2023.
Finally, not even Abia State is left out in the zonal/equity arrangement for the office of the Governor. Between 1999 and 2007, former governor Orji Uzor Kalu, from Abia North governed the State.
He was succeeded by Theodore Orji from Abia Central from 2007 to 2015 to accomplish the 8 years for his zone. The incumbent Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, who hails from Abia South has been on the seat since 2015. As it stands, all political pointers agree with the fact that in 2023, despite attempts by desperate politicians to be unfair, zoning would be respected eventually.
It is pertinent to understand how equity, justice and fairness has maturely and democratically taken root in all the States of the South-East except in Imo state, where despite the shameful long standing wide gap of unjust, unfair and inequitable imbalance, unsanctioned sycophant politicians are at it again, decietfully and self servinly distracting our current governor Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodinma and urging him to further marginalise and dominate other zones, by running for a second tenure, thereby extending the Orlu zone tenure on the saddle so far to 24 years whereas Owerri senatorial zone has only governed for 7 months since the advent of the 4th republic in 1999.
Not even one full term of 4 years like Okigwe zone. It is an unfortunate and shameful testament to the destructive activities of an ungentlemanly clique of selfish, greedy and self serving politicians, devoid of any integrity or honour and who do not have the interest of our state and its Image and perception at heart.
In Imo state, it is noteworthy to point out that the Owerri senatorial zone (Imo East) is the only senatorial zone in the entire southern Nigeria that has not participated in the governorship of its state for up to one full term since the advent of the 4th republic in 1999. This is a state of affairs that should not only be discouraged but also condemned and stoutly resisted by the other marginalised zones if we are to continue to co-populate peacefully as a state.
The only thing that can sustain the unity of Imo State, is when people of honour, integrity and conscience across the three zones of the state and the multi partisan political populace, come together to agree to entrench a zoning formula by supporting either Owerri zone (Imo East) or Okigwe zone (Imo north) to govern the State in 2024, a move that will correct the political imbalance and uphold the greedily discarded doctrine of equity in the State.
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