2027: Discard North-South zoning plan for competency – Olisa Metuh

By Omeiza Ajayi

ABUJA: A former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh has kicked against the presidential zoning arrangement between the North and South, advocating instead for zoning based on competence.

According to him, if zoning based on ethnicity should be upheld, then it has to be on the basis of geo-political zones to give each of the zones equal opportunity of providing leadership at the centre.

This came as he called for constitutional provisions that would prohibit elected officials from defecting from one party to the other except in situations where the party that sponsors a candidate into office has completely collapsed, died or merged with other parties rather than politically-engineered crisis.

Metu spoke on Thursday at the maiden international conference organized by the Department of Political Science, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka with the theme ‘Africa at Crossroads: Confronting Governance, Security and Development Challenges in the 21st Century’.

He argued that the current zoning formula between the North and South is not what will develop the country but zoning to competent individuals or giving each of the six geo-political zones equal opportunity.

“If we are going to zone and we don’t zone to geo-political zones, I am against that. It is either we are zoning properly or we go for merit”, he said.

Metu noted that the merits of partisan politics have barely been scratched in the country.

He said, “Strong institutions, especially political parties, are vital for sustainable development as weak institutions allow corruption, instability, and elite domination.

“Nigeria’s parties lack the depth and maturity to stabilize governance. Despite adopting multi-party systems, many African countries – including Nigeria – have failed to achieve the development gains expected

“Since the 1980s, development theory shifted focus from big government to good governance, defined both politically (in terms of democracy and rule of law) and economically (in terms of efficiency and transparency).

“Development was no longer just GDP growth but included democratic values. Discontent is growing—especially among youth—fueling nostalgia for military regimes and admiration for authoritarian models like China.

“But history warns that military rule breeds more harm than good. The challenge, then, is fixing—not abandoning—multi-party democracy.

“Nigeria’s political parties suffer from ideological emptiness, constant defections, poor funding structures, and a lack of programmatic discipline. These weaknesses breed instability, distrust, and poor governance.

“Parties must be rooted in clear ideological frameworks to guide their actions and earn voter trust.

“Parties should be held accountable to their campaign promises. Manifestos must be binding and publicly tracked.

“Amend the Constitution to prohibit party-switching during a term, except in rare cases (e.g., mergers). Enshrine power rotation into the Constitution to reduce ethnic tension and ensure inclusion. Legalize and regulate transparent internal fundraising. Introduce performance-based public funding. Cap campaign spending and enforce disclosures. Establish an Independent Party Finance Commission to audit and sanction. Educate the public on ideology, manifestos, and political accountability to deepen civic engagement” he said.

Earlier, the acting Vice Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, Prof. Carol Arinze-Umeobi commended the Head, Department of Political Science and his team for breaking the jinx and organizing the departments first-ever international conference.

She described the theme of the conference as quite germane to the development challenges of African countries.

She said it is utterly disappointing that decades after independence, most African countries are mired in underdevelopment, bogged down by a miasma of security challenges of armed conflicts within and between countries, resurgent Jihadist movements, secessionist movements and electoral fraud, leading to bad government and bad governance.

She also lamented that the political class keeps exploiting the great divides of religious and ethnic identities in their political contestations to remain in power; a re-emergence of coup d’etats and military governments; nonchalance on the part of the governed and a host of other challenges.

The Professor of Law wondered if the colonial masters of yore can still be justifiably held responsible for this sad state of affairs.

The acting VC noted that the big challenge is how citizens who bear the ponderous yoke of underdevelopment can be conscientized to take their destinies in their own hands, to hold governments responsive and accountable, as only then lays any prospects for the development of the continent.

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