A statement issued by the Director-General of Enugu Rebirth, Hon. Chuka Eze, lamented that while other states were strategising to ensure quality leadership and move their economies forward, selfish politicians in the state were preoccupied with zoning.
He pointed out that the larger Enugu people have not derived any benefits from the allocation of offices by influential political briefcase investors, adding that the real beneficiaries of rotation have always been the political class to the detriment of the masses.
“We restate our position that since the dawn of democracy in 1999, the good people of Enugu State have not derived, in measurable, tangible economic and social terms, from the phantom zoning of elective political offices.
“On the contrary, the real beneficiaries have been the political class, who have found it easy and convenient to divide up political offices, and by extension, the resources and opportunities in those offices, among themselves and their cronies, at the expense of the people,” it said.
Continuing, the group further lamented that Enugu people had been long manipulated to believe that the values and benefits of democratic rule begin and end with having someone from their area and senatorial zone.
He urged the people to rise and defend their rights to choose their leaders, noting that zoning has the potential of slowing down the pace of socio-cultural and economic integration of the state.
“We restate that Enugu people need a leader, who will embrace the entire state as one constituency. This cannot be possible through zoning. This is because primarily, the centrifugal forces behind the selection process impel the candidate to see himself as responsible to the zone whose turn he is benefiting from.
And this will create unhealthy cycles of bottled-up hatred that is only unleashed when power shifts,” Eze said.
On its mission, Eze said Enugu Rebirth was in support of a candidate from any of the zones in the state capable of not only rising above primordial forces and sentiments, but also has capacity to respond proactively to the socio-economic challenges of modern society.
