Enugu 2023: Zoning For Equity, Even Development

The race of who takes the Lion Building Government House, Enugu, after Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has been a hot topic in the last few months.

However, when the South-East Zonal Executive Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) decreed that the principles of zoning and rotation of power should be strictly maintained at all levels in the South East, it was a soothing balm against the cantankerous voices that had already starting emerging from everywhere trying to shout everyone down to as to how no zoning principle had been followed in states of the region prior to this time.

Of course, some make the argument that zoning is not strictly democratic in nature and open contest allows the best man for the job. They cite America, where we copied out democracy from but they forget that no two political cultures are the same. For instance, unlike Nigeria, the American president does not emerge strictly from who garnered the most votes in the election; Donald Trump trailed Hilary Clinton by 2.87 million popular votes but he beat Clinton on electoral college votes.

In Nigeria, the distribution of government positions is even enshrined in the constitution. Section 14(3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,1999, as amended, says: ‘‘The composition of the Government of the Federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and to promote national unity and also to command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few states or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that government or any of its agencies”.

Section 14(4) guarantees that this principle should percolate to the states and the local councils.

However, one must see rotation of power as a tool for even development. There is a natural proclivity for those in public office to concentrate government resources in their own locality – after all, as they say, charity begins at home.

A former governor of Enugu was once quoted as saying – when he was accused of concentrating government projects in his side of the state – that it was normal and that they when the position goes to someone from another side, he should do the same so that by the time the position goes round, every part would have been developed. That is why this time around the governorship slot should be zoned to Isi Uzo local government area of Enugu East senatorial zone – to bring development to the long-neglected minority group in the zone.

In the power rotation arrangement in the state since 1999, Enugu East senatorial produced the government in Dr Chimaroke Nnamani from 1999 to 2007. He handed over to Governor Sullivan Chime from Enugu West who handed the baton to Governor Ifeanyi Ugwunayi from Enugu North. Naturally the seat returns to Enugu East. This knocks out Ekweremadu’s (from North West) quest for governor in 2023, and it is understandable why he dismissed the zoning arrangement.

But an important and strategic task awaits Governor Ugwuanyi in the choice of his successor. It is a political given that he chooses his successor. He must, however, ensure that he selects his successor from Isi Uzo LGA so that the people of that area which has long been neglected by succeeding administrations in Enugu State, will finally be given a sense of belonging in the zone.

Isi Uzo has dual identity as everyone concerned knows. It is politically Enugu East Senatorial zone but culturally Nsukka cultural zone from where the incumbent emerged. So, naysayers can argue that it is an extension of Enugu North governorship of the state.

Even then, there are those who insist that Enugu North deserves 16 straight years at the Lion Building since the old Enugu cultural zone which was divided into two at the creation of Enugu State to form Enugu East and Enugu West senatorial districts has also held the governorship position for 16 years – Chimaroke Nnamani, 1999 to 2007, and Sullivan Chime, 2007 to 2014.

As the 1999 Constitution made provisions for three Senatorial Districts for each state to create a semblance of equality of states. In Enugu State, the powers that be then split Enugu Zone, with less population, into two senatorial districts of Enugu West and Enugu East, and took Isi Uzo LGA of Nsukka Zone into Enugu East Senatorial Zone on the pretext that Isi-Uzo had Nkanu roots.

The coordinator of Enugu Equity Forum, Mr Dindu Ezea, alluded to this fact that since that strange marriage, Isi-Uzo people had been marginalised in a zone predominated by Nkanu people. It is on this basis that the Forum believes that, for equity and fairness, the local government should have one of its own become governor of the state so as to take government presence there. According to the group, the area is the least developed area in the state, lacking in infrastructure and other government presence.

It is not hidden that some elements are railing against the prospect of the governorship going to Isi Uzo LGA. But they forget the historical imbalance that convoked advantage on Enugu cultural zone to the detriment of Nsukka zone.

When Abakaliki Senatorial zone was moved from Enugu State to become part of Ebonyi State, it was three persons from  Nkanu, Awgu and Ezeagu – all in Enugu Cultural zone – who had access to the military (Jim Nwobodo was minister under Gen Sani Abacha) that went to used their Abuja connection to  split old Enugu Senatorial zone into Enugu-East Senatorial zone and Enugu-West Senatorial zone, leaving Nsukka Senatorial zone which had the largest human population and land mass as one senatorial zone. They went ahead to change its name to Enugu North and rammed it down Nsukka’s people’s throats under the cover military regime. It did not occur to them to work with Nsukka persons in a project that affected all of them.

The question today is: how come that, today, the same people who claimed Isi-Uzo to score a political advantage are now singing a different tune when it is now the turn of Isi-Uzo to produce the governor under Enugu-East Senatorial zone?

Enugu-East senatorial zone has six local government areas – Nkanu West, Nkanu East, Isi-Uzo, Enugu North, Enugu South, and Enugu East.

At the senatorial level, Nkanu-West LGA produced Senator Chimaroke Nnamani who is currently in his second term. It has also produced a federal minister. Enugu South has also produced two senators: Jim Nwobodo and Chief Ken Nnamani. Enugu-East LGA has had a senator, Chief Gil Nnaji as well as the incumbent state Assembly speaker and also the state chief judge.

Nkanu East has produced deputy governor twice, the secretary to the state government and a federal minister, while Enugu North LGA produced former governor, Chief C.C. Onoh, and Chief Dubem Onyia who served as a federal minister. In all these, Isi-Uzo is left out of such representations.

This is why stakeholders in the state are canvassing that, for equity and even development, it is for Isi-Uzo to produce the next governor of Enugu State to take government presence there. The state governor and the ruling party in the state should see to it that this is done.