Nasarawa State governor, Abdullahi Sule, has reiterated his long held position that zoning of the governorship seat among the three senatorial districts, remains the only trusted path for achieving peace and development in the state.
The governor stated this when he hosted stakeholders from Toto Local Government Area of the State at the Government House in Lafia.
He reminded the visiting stakeholders that without the rotational arrangement, it would have been difficult for Nasarawa North, where he hailed from with just three local government areas, to produce the governor.
He advised political elites in the state to sustain the zoning arrangement which has ensured fair representation and peaceful coexistence among all parts of the state.
“Today, I am totally misunderstood in this state by some stakeholders because I said I am a product of zoning and I want to also support zoning to continue. When I make such comment, I am not denying any zone any opportunity. I am not denying anybody any opportunity. Everybody has the right. As far as you are the son or daughter of this state, you have the right and contest and show interest in being the governor. Nobody can stop you. But I am just saying that A. A. Sule as a person, if you leave it to me, I would like to support somebody from that zone because that is the zone that can actually produce the next governor,” he stated.
The governor said that despite his zone being at a disadvantage in terms of population and number of LGAs, his predecessor, Senator Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, supported him to emerge.
“I continue to appeal to people to understand that this rotation gives people peace. Every time you have the opportunity to rotate this kind of position, you give people opportunity for peace. You give people the opportunity to have hope.
“A zone like Nasarawa North with three local government areas, if not that we have somebody like Senator Umaru Tanko Al-makura who fought to say that, no it must go to that zone, your zone would have taken it away from us. But he said no. He stood by me. That is the reason why no matter what somebody says on the social media, I continue to respect Tanko Al-makura and I don’t say anything because he supported us,” he said.
He said that it was in the same spirit that he was insisting on zoning arrangement to give everyone a sense of belonging.
“It is the same role that I am trying to play. So that one day, a governor will stand here and say, if not for A. A. Sule, that believes in zoning, I won’t have been a governor. This is just the point I am making,” he said.
He appealed for understanding among stakeholders on the matter, stressing that there were so many other positions to be contested by those aspiring for elective offices, as well as time for them to fulfil their political objectives.
