A presidential aspirant of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Donald Duke, has faulted regional zoning of political offices in Nigeria, stating that it has only put mediocre leaders in power since adoption.
Regional zoning is a popular perception in the Nigerian political space which mandates a rotation of political offices among the southwest, southeast, northeast, north-central and south-south regions in the county.
The north-central region which produced Muhammadu Buhari as president in 2015 is expected to retain power till 2023 before power rotates to the southeast region in Nigeria.
However, Duke who was addressing the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum in Abuja, said the practice of zoning political offices had not been beneficial to Nigeria since it had been embraced.
He stated that he found it strange that it was the major ethnic groups that were canvassing for zoning of political offices, while minorities who ought to demand to zone were not keen on it.
The former governor of Cross River state governor said the situation in the nation was too dire for zoning of political positions on the basis of regional considerations.
Duke noted that the nation’s economy was in a dire strait, insisting that the economy was not out of recession as claimed by the Federal Government, adding that it was still growing at below 2 per cent.
“The economy is not growing because, by virtue of our population growth, the economy should be growing at 4 per cent, we must exceed our population growth and Nigeria should by now have a trillion dollar economy.”
He added that his decision to contest the position of president of the country was to show another approach could be implored to attain an elective position in Nigeria.
“I am running for the President because Nigerian deserves as many options as possible. Things are too dire for zoning and zoning, I know, has only produced mediocre in our midst.
“The minorities should be canvassing for zoning of political offices, but I find it strange that it is the major ethnic groups that are demanding for zoning,” Donald Duke said.