2023 presidency: No zoning arrangement in APC’s constitution – Shekarau

The former Governor however appealed for “constitution of common sense”

Former Kano State Governor, Senator Ibrahim Shekarau on Sunday said there is no provision for zoning of presidency in the constitution of the All Progressives Congress (APC) but the “constitution of common sense” should be used.

Shekarau, who represents Kano Central Senatorial District at the Senate under the APC umbrella, said this during a media interactive session in Kano while responding to question on his position on zoning arrangement for the 2023 presidential election.

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He said he believes the guiding principle should be fairness and justice to all, adding that “there is constitution of common sense, people have to use it.”

Explaining further, the Sardaunan Kano said it is similar to how the principle of the six geo-political zone is not in the 1999 constitution of Nigeria “but today it has become a recognized principle.”

He added that it is also not constitutional that president and vice president must come from different zones but that it will be folly for any presidential aspirant to announce a vice presidential from his zone or state.’

“I don’t talk of zoning but balancing,” he said, adding that, “My believe is that today in Nigeria, there is no one state that does not have hundreds of qualified presidential candidate; so it should not be about killing oneself for which area produces the president. It should be ‘who is it’ and not ‘where he is from.”

Shekarau also commented on his relationship with his predecessor and successor as governor of Kano State, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.

“Kwankwaso and I are best of friends. We may have different political ideology but we all belong to Kano,” he said.

The Intrigues

There have been permutations ahead of the 2023 elections and the topic of zoning has been at the front burner in recent time.

Daily Trust reports that a former governor of Lagos State and current Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, had in a recent interview urged the APC to honour the ‘zoning’ agreement.

However, a former former of Zamfara state, Sani Yerima had a differing opinion with Fashola saying there “is anything like agreement.”

Yerima is also the first member of the APC to declare his intention to contest the 2023 Presidential election.

“I don’t think there is anything like agreement. You can ask Mr President, he led the group, Asiwaju was there; I was part of it.

“There was no meeting I didn’t attend or any meeting I attended that there was such agreement. Agreement can’t be verbal, it has to be written. In any case, any agreement that is contrary to laws of this country is not an agreement.

“The constitution is very clear. We are in a democracy and it is governed by processes, procedures and laws.

“The constitution of Nigeria doesn’t recognise anything called zoning, likewise the constitution of the APC. If there is that agreement, why didn’t we put it in the constitution?’’ He argued.