Why power rotation agreement should be constitutionalised – Sen. Achonu
Labour Party’s 2023 governorship candidate in Imo State, and 8th Assembly Senator, Athan Nneji Achonu, has asked the National Assembly to initiate a legal framework that would constitutionalise zoning arrangement in the country. The lawmaker argued that enshrining zoning in the constitution would ensure lasting inclusivity and stability in governance in the country. Daily Trust […]
Sen. Achonu
Labour Party’s 2023 governorship candidate in Imo State, and 8th Assembly Senator, Athan Nneji Achonu, has asked the National Assembly to initiate a legal framework that would constitutionalise zoning arrangement in the country.
The lawmaker argued that enshrining zoning in the constitution would ensure lasting inclusivity and stability in governance in the country.
Daily Trust reports that power rotation agreement between the North and the South as currently being practiced has no constitutional backing.
Addressing a press conference on Monday in Abuja, Senator Achonu said it should be made constitutionally operational not just for the North and the South, but to deliberately rotate the Presidency amongst the six geopolitical zones starting with the South-East.
“More importantly, when it gets to any zone, the zone should be allowed to have their 8 years uninterrupted. If that person who has been elected is not doing well, the other 5 zones will impeach him, so that somebody else who is more capable from that zone can complete his tenure.
“This is to ensure stability, and not when one zone is ruling, another person from a different zone will jump into the ring to scatter it, thereby causing instability and unnecessary political tension.
“Therefore, the zoning arrangement should be constitutionalised. This ensures no zone is marginalised and guarantees that every zone presents its best and brightest in every election cycle,” he said.
He also said for local government autonomy to have true meaning, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) must be constitutionally mandated to conduct all local government elections.
“The continued existence of State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs), often used as tools for manipulation, makes a mockery of democracy.
“Equally, I call on national stakeholders, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the Trade Union Congress (TUC), the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), and other civic groups to take active interest in monitoring the utilisation of local government funds,” he said.
He also proposed an immediate law to ensure electoral inclusivity for every Nigerian, regardless of their location.
“It is worthy to highlight the rising significance of the Nigerian diaspora to the nation’s economic development, where it is on record that the official remittances from Nigerians abroad hit $20.93 billion in 2024, four times the value of Nigeria’s Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) for the same period,” he added.