PKK AND THE QUESTION OF ZONING OR POWER ROTATION IN 2023
By Kankimes Alghazali Moh’d
With election of Rt. Hon Yusuf Adamu Gagdi for the first term, it seems the door to 2023 election campaigns has been opened. Although, there were rumours that Gagdi would seek a second term, the legislator is yet to deny or debunk the rumours.
In the build up to 2019 election, the then ruling PDP was enmeshed in power rotation crisis.The predecessor of Gagdi, was believed to have breached the power zoning arrangement perfected and entrenched.The inability of the party to resolve the crisis contributed greatly towards its woeful performance and ultimate defeat. Now, that is history.
The 2023 election is still far away. However, those who have been watching or monitoring the political development in the constituency may rightly or wrongly say that the re-alignment of political forces have begun in earnest. It appears the ruling party is in the state of dilemma on the issue of power rotation. People are firing the salvo.
You will quite agree with me, each of the three Local Government Areas is blessed with people of timber and calibre.These people have excelled in various fields of human development and could hold any position if given the opportunities. No Local Government Area has the monopoly of competent hands.
It is obvious power rotation has helped tremendously towards promoting unity in diversity. It has adressed the problems of power domination by certain Local Government Area in the constituency.
However, what has continued to baffle or puzzle many PKK constituents is the question of whether the incumbent will seek reelection. And if he will aspire in 2023, whether his aspiration will breach controversial zoning arrangement or not?
The answer to this question is NO. When one go down deep to history, it would be fathomable for everyone to concur with my submission.
Kanke held the office from 1999 to 2003, Kanam from 2003 to 2007, Pankshin from 20007 to 2011.
Pankshin was last in the first roundup and started first in the second roundup from 2011-2015, Kanke took over from 2015 to 2019 and Kanam 2019-2023.
It will not be anti-zoning if Kanam starts in the third roundup, same way Pankshin did, in the second roundup. But that hasn’t stopped the cacophony of noises for power movement away from Kanam.
To clear more doubting minds in respect of intra-zoning or power rotation gentleman arrangement, let me dig down deep into history once again:
In 1999, the seat of House of Representatives was won by Kanke without any agreement of which local government was to contest first before others. Hon Josiah Gobum was elected to the National Assembly under PDP.
In strengthening the political calculation of 2003, the ruling party’s stakeholders considered the voting strength of Kanam and zoned the seat of House of Representatives to Kanam.
Hon Rev. Musa Labar Wuyep was elected to represent the Federal Constituency in the National Assembly under the PDP.
In 2007, late Usman Zumunta Musa contested for the seat and he was not allowed, the same Rev Musa Labar Wuyep was endorsed by the ACN elders of Pankshin, Kanke and Kanam for continuity based on the political calculation, but was defeated by a PDP Leonard Dilkon, from Pankshin LGA. In 2011, another Pankshin man, Rt. Hon. Emmanuel Go’ar of the PDP emerged.
In 2015, a Kanke man, Hon. Timothy Golu of PDP emerged after defeating men of Kanam LGA at the primaries and general elections.
In 2019, Hon. Yusuf Gagdi, a Jhar of APC, contested with Kanam men at the primaries, and with an Ngas man of Kanke, Hon.Timothy Golu of the PDP. It is worthy of note that Hon.Timothy Golu defeated Kanam men at the primaries.
It’s also worthy to note that despite the gentleman arrangement of power rotation, the predecessors of Gagdi with the exception of Emmanuel Goar who opted for the Senatorial seat seeked re-election and were rejected due to incompetency not zoning arrangement and must of the advocates of the zoning arrangement now supported them. Timothy Golu was rejected because Kanke will have move for third roundup when Kanam was still in first roundup.
The bottom line is that when people begin to throw up issues in the course of a competition, definitely people will look for sentiments and variables that will be conducive to them. For me, striving to kick against Kanam candidate aspiration on the ground of zoning is actually a campaign tool by those who will contest and feel that they will not match the strength of the incumbent.
I understand the clamor for rotation by some sections in the constituency. The issue is a matter of life and death to some unscrupulous politicians and their uninitiated followers. It is borne out of the mutual mistrust, fear and suspicion of each other among the three Local Government Areas, religion and sections. If we as PKK constituents believe that we are one people in which we have a sense of belonging, it wouldn’t matter who becomes the Federal representative as long as that person is competent.
When political elites are exhausted of ideology then definitely they will implore issues such as power rotation formula, ethnicity and religious considerations in order to dominate the polity. Thus, the issue of power rotation in 2023 is not more than a means of consolidating the hegemonic class in another way.
I need speak no more.
Kankimes Alghazali writes from Kanam L.G.A(Princekam75@gmail com)
Freelance Reporters 