BY Michael Ubani

In the last few weeks, political calculations and permutations concerning which zone will produce the next Governor in Ebonyi State come 2015 has been put in the front burner of national discourse with some political pundits canvassing for power shift to Ebonyi South.

While one school of thought based its argument on flimsy and non-existent power rotation arrangement, the other holds the view that based on morality, justice and fairness, the slot should automatically go to the South.
While I firmly subscribe to the notion that people have the inalienable right to freedom of expression, I do not think such political tokenism is the only answer to the political and economic development of our dear young state.

I believe those Ebonyians who are resident in the state like me, will readily perceive such warped political analysis as the handiwork of some few disgruntled politicians living outside the state who feel they cannot make it to the highest position in the state without hiding under the banner of primordial sentiments.

It will be recalled that since the advent of democratic governance in 1999, the emergence of any governor in Ebonyi State has always been rancour-free regardless of whichever bloc or senatorial zone the candidate comes from. Ebonyians are highly perceptive and rational people who always rally behind the best candidate instead of resorting to primordial sentiments.

Any discerning reader from or outside the state who is conversant with the politics of the state would not subscribe to the above thesis or postulations because such permutations have no place in the politics and polity of the state.

The terms and expressions such as zoning, power rotation or “it is now our turn” are yet to find accommodation in the state’s political lexicon, therefore it should be seen by all and sundry as an aberration and an ill-wind that blows nobody any good and should be discarded forthwith.

Going down memory lane, one also recalls that way back in 1999, Dr. Sam Egwu, from Ebonyi North contested alongside other candidates like Dr. Emmanuel Isu (South), Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu (South) and Hon. Nwagu Onele (Central) respectively within and across party divides.

In the same vein, in 2011, the same scenario was re-enacted when Chief Martin Elechi from Ebonyi Central contested against Sen. Julius Ogbuenu (Central), Sen. Agboti (South) and Polycarp Nwite (North) respectively. This has been the trend in all past elections in the state.

It is therefore instructive to note that in all the elections from 1999 to 2011, there was no consensus candidate nor any rotation principle or zoning observed. All candidates regardless of their zones and political persuasions went through electoral process of facing primaries in their respective parties and later general elections where voters voted their candidates freely without imposition or prodding from any quarters.

It is against this background that I want to appeal to all political gladiators in our beloved state to move away from divisive politics by insisting on the best candidate who in their estimation will provide the needed leadership to move the state forward instead of looking at candidates from the mosaic of where they come from.

The name of our dear leader, the governor of the state should not be dragged in the mud by power mongers who are bent on promoting anarchy and bringing backwardness to the state thus rubbishing the lofty ideals built by the founding fathers.

All this while, we Ebonyians as a collective have never toyed with the idea of rotation. Is it now after the state has become a model of democracy and good governance in the country under the able and dynamic leadership of Martin Elechi that we will begin to drag the state backward by saying IT IS NOW OUR TURN. No, Ebonyians are so enlightened and politically too sophisticated to be dragged into such primordial and prebendal politics.

At this juncture of our democratic journey, it will be fruitless to drag the governor of the state into the cesspit of divisive politics. We should remember that had our founding fathers allowed divisive tendencies in their ranks, the name Ebonyi State wouldn’t have seen the light to the day, as continued acrimony amongst the political class would have denied us the state.

Dragging the name of Governor Elechi a man whom everybody agree is above board, given his pedigree and antecedents is maladroit as the Akporunkashi will never succumb to such cheap blackmail.

Michael Ubani, Public Affairs Commentator, Onueke, Abakaliki.