2023: I Don’t Care If Another President Is From Daura, Ex-Reps Spokesman Eyiboh Declares
- Eseme Eyiboh, an ex-spokesman for House Reps, said Nigeria's president can come from any part of the country in 2023
- The lawmaker believes that the country has made many men against strong institutions, advising that the mentality must change
- Eyiboh said that politicians must reflect like it's done by Christians and Muslims when preparing for their festivities
FCT, Abuja - A former member and spokesperson of the House of Representatives representing Eket/Esit Eket/Onna/Ibeno federal constituency of Akwa Ibom state, Eseme Eyiboh, has said that he does not believe in zoning system as being canvassed in many quarters ahead of the 2023 general election.
Eyiboh, who is the immediate past chairman of the Cross River Basin Development Authority and chairman of Forum of Chairman, River Basin Development Authorities of Nigeria, in an exclusive chat with Legit.ng, dismissed the issue of zoning, arguing that Nigerians should rather emphasise competence in choosing the elected officers.
Source: Facebook
2023 is like Christmas, Sallah celebration
He said 2023 can best be compared to Christmas and Sallah celebration and the preparation of individuals towards them.
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Eyiboh said:
“What 2023 is to politicians is like what Sallah is to Muslims or Christmas to Christians. That’s how important it’s. During Christmas, Christians are expected to reflect on the attribute of Christ, and during Sallah, Muslims are expected to reflect on the general principle of Islamic religion.
“The year 2023 is going to be a year politicians are expected to look back and reflect on how far they have fared. They have taken so much from the country, Nigeria. How much have they contributed to the nation?"
According to him, people’s conduct ahead of religious festivities is important, just as the conduct of politicians ahead of the 2023 election is important. He urged them to reflect.
Eyiboh opined that any Muslim or Christian who by conduct in that season of Sallah or that of Christmas diminishes the essence and the reason for the celebration of any of those festivals has committed a sacrilege.
He added that this equally applies to the politician who, in an election title like 2023 doesn’t reflect on what took place in 2025, and what took place in 2019.
The former federal lawmaker noted:
"This reflection is asking ourselves questions as politicians. Sovereignty belongs to the people, and how much of our conduct has actually brought back the right virtues of democratic governance on the people?
“This is where the reflection comes in. And if we didn’t do well, what do we intend to do differently this time around? That is the essence of the reflection. If we are suffering now or if we are doing well, in 2023, are we going to raise the anthem or lower it? And so far so good, have we done well?
"And if we have not done well, do we still have reasons to go back to the same people in 2023 to ask them for vote? And who does the power belong to? Is it the politicians or the people? If it’s the people, what have we done? What has been the return on investment since politics is an investiture by the people? Is it insecurity, is it poverty, is it employment? What is the return on the investment of the sovereignty? Because we are trustees of the people.”
His position on current agitation for zoning
Admitting that zoning is aimed at addressing perceived injustice, Eyiboh argued that it shouldn't be the yardstick to elect the nation’s leader.
The ex-lawmaker said:
“Zoning in politics is said to be a mechanism intended to redress perceived injustices. What is the justice in this matter that we want? Where are we zoning to? And in zoning, is it enough? What has been the culture of leadership recruitment in this country politically? We have failed in terms of leadership recruitment culture. We always put the right people in the wrong places and in some cases, the wrong people in the right places.
“If we have not done well in the leadership recruitment process, will zoning now solve it? The answer is no. Even if you zone to my family and I don’t have the requisite capacity to lead, then zoning has not done anything. So first and foremost, we must improve on the leadership recruitment process who will consciously make sure that we recruit the right people into the right places. It’s the poor leadership recruitment issue that has occasioned weak institutions."
Governance promotes strong men, weak institutions
According to Eyiboh, governance in Nigeria has continued to promote strong men, while weakening the institutions. To him, strong men don’t transform a country, but the institutions can make a country.
He said:
“What governance is doing in Nigeria is promoting and breeding strong men and not strong institutions. When Trump wanted to alter the American political culture, the institution stood by it, including, even the people he appointed. They resisted him, and the people won, but if it were to be in Nigeria where strong men are being recruited, strong men are being blessed; we have people now who are stronger than the institutions, maybe Trump would have succeeded, and there would have been no Joe Biden or there would have been a military coup. So 2023 is not a magic of zoning, it’s a magic of the recruitment process.
“Every family in this country has more than one person who can rule this country. But how do we bring such people out? The culture of politics we are playing, can that in earnest, bring about the right people to right places? The answer to my mind is No!”
Why zoning is not right
He further explained why he is completely against the issue of zoning, stating that the right leadership makes a country.
Eyiboh also noted that he is "not a supporter of zoning but a supporter of the right leadership coming from any part of the country, saying that he does not care if another president comes from Katsina or even Daura".
He added:
“The political party must be able to set up a template to be able to throw up quality people. People that if you line them up in a primary or in a general election, should be able to convince people. Political parties must reflect in their primaries the sensitivity of the people. The people are becoming more sensitive about the leadership question. There are too many strong men and very weak institutions."
APC has performed well without sufficiently informing
Rating the performance of the current APC leadership, he said the party has done well but not sufficiently informed Nigerians about its achievements, the reason citizens are not sure of their performance.
The APC chieftain said:
“The number one mistake this APC government is doing is that they have performed without sufficiently informing. They have performed but they have not merged their performance with sufficient information. I can give you an example.
"If you look at the rail system which is very crucial to the general economy of the country, this APC government has done very well. 95 percent of our trade and commerce is through the maritime corridor. Before now, there were a lot of pirates, militants, and all sorts of things on the maritime corridor; blowing of oil pipelines and all of that. This government came in and quelled; brought to the barest minimum, the lowest ever- insecurity in the maritime sector."
PDP reacts to alleged zoning of 2023 presidential ticket to north
Meanwhile, Legit.ng had previously reported that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Saturday, January 7, rejected the rumoured zoning of the party's presidential ticket to the north in 2023.
It was reported that PDP national publicity secretary, Debo Ologunagba, in a statement shared on its official Facebook page, said the decision on the zoning of the presidential ticket is based on extensive consultations, discussions and consideration of all issues.
Ologunagba was reacting to a recent statement credited to a former governor of Niger state, Babangida Aliyu that the main opposition party has agreed to pick its candidate for the 2023 presidential race from one of the zones in the northern region.
Source: Legit.ng
