Newsie Events:- #Opinion
It is becoming abundantly clear to the blind and audible enough to the deaf that the clamours for political zoning and other power-sharing arrangements as mechanisms for political correctness have overshadowed liberal democracy not only in Midim ward one but in Nigeria as a country.
Permit me to start this contribution by defining to a layman the meaning of zoning. According to the Oxford Dictionary for African Politics, zoning means a political practice against injustice in Nigeria under which political parties or cultural group in states or communities agrees to rotate power amongst contending factors, depending on the office in contention.
Thus the recent displayed of some persons in Midim ward one approaching the long existence of zoning formula that has yield positive fruit and as well helped to maintain a justifiable peace want it to be truncated for selfish aggrandizement at the detriment of people is unmerited.
And as a matter of fact, the zoning has enabled the villages in Midim to participates effectively in producing representatives that stand for the ward at the legislative Chambers of the council hence the zoning cannot be deviated under any circumstances.
Nobody disqualified anyone from contesting the councilor and it is accepted that Papa Monday Frank is a grassrooter but in the circumstances by virtue of the condition adopted and implemented by the stakeholders of Abak LGA that it is only a graduate that is allowed to represent the people as a councilor in the ward and eventually the incumbent councilor that represents zone B which is Hon Uduak Etukudoh is a graduate, therefore it is the academic qualification of Mr. Papa Monday Frank that disqualified him because he had only SSCE and as far as there is another aspirant from the section where Papa comes from who is a graduate the aspirant must enjoy a slot of the zoning as far as he is a PDP member.
The zoning formula in Midim does not mean that the zone has the effrontery to pick up one candidate because the picking of the candidate is the sole responsibility of the entire Midim which made up of nine villages. The essence of zoning is just to restrict the aspirant that comes out but that does not mean that the area that is favored has an absolute right, it must be this and must be that.
The standard in Abak LGA must be maintained and the zoning in Midim is uncompromising, there has never been a second term councilor in the entire Abak LGA and can not start in Midim ward one as far as the candidate who has met the qualification specified by the stakeholders of Abak and presided over by the Deputy Governor of the state and in the 12 wards of Abak LGA that is the standard that has been followed therefore the issues of imposition as had been alleged is dumbfounded, instead, it is the academic qualification that disqualified Papa Frank.
This should serve as a lesson to every youth that they should avoid thuggery and rascality and seize every opportunity to go to school. This attitude of Abak LGA shows that in years to come, anybody who does not acquire a first degree May not even be able to be a church Warder.
At this juncture, the Ward Chairman of the party has publicly disenfranchised his position unconstitutionally as a chairman of the party to sight one candidate. We can now see why some councilors Don’t perform. it’s because the ward Chairman has been giving an oath to take, while in the council, the councilors will be making returns to him and because of the qualities and discipline of the stakeholders in Midim ward one they had not allowed a well exposed and educated aspirant to such modern attitudes.
The people of Abak LGA in general commend and appreciate the policy of the deputy governor and the stakeholders in general for abducting this kind of principles which is to promote education in our society
It will, therefore, be very undemocratic for some group of people who have benefited from the zoning policies to gang up with desperate ambition to frustrate, abbreviates and shortens the chances of another zone from also benefitting from the peaceful and smooth running order of the policy just because of their selfish desires.
The zoning in Midim is a sacrosanct institution that cannot be altered. It is used to goad the citizens and railroad them into perpetual subservience to political elites and that is why academic qualification is taken into consideration so that a better foundation can be laid and also that Councilorship position will not be seen as a slot and ways of compensating thuggery and rascality.
Those parading the social media with bogus and phony information of imposition of candidates in Midim should rather be well guided by asking themselves some lawful questions, helpful and desirable to the political survival of Midim people and as a people? We must be put to the four-way test the true intent for justice, equity and fair play to prevail if we must give democracy a chance.
Copyright © 2024