A FORMER national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and former governor of Edo State, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, has stated that President Bola Tinubu does not support zoning in the party’s rescheduled governorship primary on Thursday, February 22.
Oshiomhole, who is the senator representing Edo North in the National Assembly, told journalists State House, Abuja, shortly after meeting with the President, that those advocating zoning were not being fair, citing the processes in Kogi and Benue states.
The former Labour activist said he met Tinubu to get clarity on his position over the process of selecting the party’s candidate for the September 21 governorship election, saying the President chose to have a free and fair process that would reflect the wishes of the majority of party members.
Oshiomhole’s visit came at a time controversies is trailing the APC governorship primary, whose result had initially been announced in favour of Dennis Idahosa, but was later declared inconclusive by the National Working Committee (NWC) following protests by some other aspirants and party stakeholders.
Two other candidates- Monday Okpebholo and Sunday Dekeri- also claimed victory, accusing the former governor of trying to impose Idahosa.
Also, APC stakeholders opposed to Idahosa have cited the fact that he is from the same Edo South district as the incumbent Governor, Godwin Obaseki, who is serving out his two-term of eight years, advocating that power should shift to a different zone.
But Oshiomhole insisted that after discussing the zoning question with Tinubu, the President expressed his commitment only to free and fair primary and the rescheduled primary should not be based on zoning, but the will of the majority of APC members.
The former governor argued that after allowing Kogi State Governor, Usman Ododo, to succeed Yahaya Bello, even though they are from the same senatorial district, and also did not stop the Tiv from dominating Benue State governorship elections, the APC cannot single out Edo State for zoning.
“I have the authority of the President to address the press on this matter, because of the various lies and half-truths. What is fair in a democracy is not for any man, including the President, to single-handedly impose anyone.
“The fairness of the process is determined by whether or not the candidate that emerges is the true choice of the APC members and that is where the President stands.
“When you choose to single out Edo State, you are just being unfair. Is it not the same APC where recently in Kogi state, you have back-to-back, with candidate from one senatorial zone succeeding the other? Why is Edo different?
“In Benue State, since 1999, you’ve had only people from one part, one particular language, the Tiv, producing governor after governor. Are you about to change the rules? In any case, who are you and I to dictate to Edo APC members where their candidate must come from?
“If you impose a candidate, as some of you want to suggest, when you go for the election proper, are you going to tell people to vote based on your own privileged elite consensus of turn-by-turn democracy?
“We are known for turn-by-turn democracy and I have been in Edo politics since 2007. I won the election against what PDP considered to be the preferred candidate. Only the people of Edo State, in this case, and at this stage, the members of APC, can nominate the candidate.
“I have the authority of the President to clarify this. His name should not be used recklessly by people who are afraid of free and fair elections.”
Oshiomhole denounced the power rotation system, which he described as turn-by-turn, saying it is opposed to fairness and merit.
“What I’ve committed to is that in a democracy, the majority must necessarily have their way. You can’t do it otherwise, there is no sentiment about it. Fairness means that the outcome is a reflection of the will of the people; fairness is not when you allocate. This turn-buy-turn democracy kills fairness.
“So, I won’t stop here to talk if I didn’t have that discussion, and to have that discussion so that Edo people will feel Edo APC at the level of the primaries.
“Let me ask you, in all fairness, is democracy imposing a smaller number on a bigger number? Look at the demographics.
“I don’t like to talk about ethnicity, because for me, that is not it, and I don’t really care what people say. Everybody comes to me and say, ‘I need you to endorse me, please I’ll be loyal to you.’ As I speak, I am not a governor.
“By the time I re-contested the election to the senate, I had been removed as the national chairman of APC. They could remove me from the office, but they could not remove my fighting spirit. And I’m back, because I have my people with me.
“Some of you recall that that time, they alleged that people from my ward have lost confidence in me, but I went back to the polls and the people of Edo North reposed confidence in me.
“So, I am used to losers trying to find somebody to blame. They come to you in the nighttime soliciting your endorsement. Don’t I have a voting right?
“But the important thing is that I have the authority of Mr. President, and you can cross-check. I told him, ‘can I announce what I discussed, whether or not tomorrow’s run-up election is based on zoning, and he said, ‘no, no zoning.’
“It is merit and fairness. Fairness is not by individual allocating; fairness is by the process, members participated in direct primaries.
“The President is a democrat and he has given me assurances that make me happy that only APC members will determine who their flag-bearer will be, because it is they who will carry the burden of the campaigns to get the people to vote.
“So, when you tell them ‘go this way,’ those who look at what you have done before will say, ‘I think there is wisdom in it.’ I have worked hard as a minority person myself to win the governorship of Edo State without zoning.
“I’m not a product of zoning and I contested election against a retired General from Benin and the Benin people across the 77 wards voted for me. I didn’t need zoning; all I needed was to say my name is Oshiomhole.
“This is what I’ve done in road infrastructure, healthcare, education, employing teachers and all of those basic things that our people need.”
