2023: If parties must zone, south-east should get presidential ticket, says Sam Amadi

Sam Amadi, a former chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), says political parties interested in zoning should pick presidential candidates from the south-east.

Speaking on Thursday at a media briefing in Abuja, Amadi, who is the director of the Abuja School of Social and Political Thoughts, said the decision will ensure equity and justice.

“Zoning is an abstraction from normal politics which is a need to solve a problem. So, our view in Abuja school is that if you want to zone, then the zoning should go to the south-east straight, not south-south,” he said.

“We have been reviewing how the process of zoning is playing out, and we have a few concerns.

“Number one is that we just realised that this politics of zoning has taken a dangerous turn as a result of response to the last six or seven years of this administration which many groups feel marginalised.

“Zoning should be properly understood. Ideally, elections should be open competition. The notion of zoning grew as a response largely during the June 12 election when the election was annulled, and the political elite, as a matter of consensus, agreed that there was the need to deal with the crisis of confidence in the south-west.

“Our view in Abuja school is that you don’t need to zone anything if you don’t think that there is a clear present danger.

“Zoning is an affirmative action. If you see a crisis that you need to respond to, and then everybody can decide to agree on zoning.”