Democracy Day: YOPGAN advocates constitutionalisation of power rotation, scrapping of zoning system

By Mu’azu Abubakar Albarkawa, Kaduna

A non governmental organization, Young People General Assembly of Nigeria, YOPGAN has advocated the inclusion of zoning of the office of the President in the Nigerian constitution for equity and fairness.

This was contained in the Democracy Day speech by the National President of the Assembly, Comrade Dan Ebiri who suggested that the presidency should be constitutionally rotated among the two main regions of North and South by all political parties.

Comrade Ebiri said the Assembly also demanded for the scraping of the use of delegates system of selecting political parties flag bearers, stressing that it is a failed experiment borrowed from the US where the system works but could not in Nigeria.

“This is the highest cruelty to our democracy that shuts out true competent and patriotic leaders with no such financial capacity making the process open only to the moneybags who are willing to buy all party delegates and electorate with huge naira and dollars at the expense of true representation and advancement of our democratic history.” He said.

“A section of the 2022 Electoral Act poses more danger to our democracy than good which introduces a monster that can truncate the democracy and upturn the true essence of democratic governance through delegate system and money bag politics.

“We are appealing to Mr. President to rise up to the occasion, including the
INEC, ICPC and EFCC as well as Civil Societies Organisations to say No to moneybags politics to enable Nigerian democracy thrives.

Comrade Ebiri who congratulated President Buhari for refusing the temptation to impose a candidate on Nigerians through his party, described the act as the first in the democratic experience to see a sitting President demonstrate in practical terms the highest level of neutrality in determining his successor.

“I urged Mr.President to consolidate the feet by accommodating this in our electoral laws and criminalize all forms of voters inducement even at the party level with very severe penalties.

The YOPGAN President applauded young Nigerians for the intensified efforts in getting their PVC and active involvement in the political process, and encourage them to accelerate the drive.