The Middle Belt Forum, MBF, has faulted the ‘denial’ of national chairmanship positions in the All Progressives Congress, APC, and Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to the North-Central geo-political zone.
National President of the Middle Belt Forum, Dr. Bitrus Pogu, frowned at the development in an interview with NewsNGR.
Going by subsisting zoning arrangements, the North-Central – comprising Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Plateau and the Federal Capital Territory – is supposed to produce the current chairmen of the APC and PDP.
Following the zoning of the position to the North-Central, Prof. Iyorchia Ayu, from Benue State, emerged the PDP National Chairman at the party’s last national convention in October 2021.
However, as a result of the crisis that trailed the PDP presidential primary election in May 2022, which led to a series of lawsuits, Ayu was forced out before completing his tenure and Amb. Illiya Damagum, from Yobe State in the North-East, has been the Acting National Chairman since March 28, 2023.
This means that Damagun, from the North-East, is holding the position zoned to the North-Central. As a result, the North-Central Caucus of the PDP has been agitating to produce a national chairman that will complete Ayu’s tenure.
A similar scenario played out in the APC where Abdullahi Adamu, a former governor of Nasarawa State, emerged the party’s National Chairman in March 2022, following the ceding of the position to the North-Central.
He resigned from the position in July 2023 without completing his tenure, and Abdullahi Ganduje, a former governor of Kano State in the North-West, was appointed as his replacement.
Like their PDP counterparts, the North-Central Caucus of the APC is also insisting on producing the National Chairman to replace, and complete Adamu’s tenure.
Speaking to NewsNGR, Pogu, leader of the MBF, a socio-political association of the Middle Belt, which includes the North-Central, insisted that no part of the region should be denied what is meant for them, even in the various political parties.
Pogu, who noted that the North-Central is being shortchanged, backed the agitation of stakeholders from the zone to produce the national chairmen of the APC and PDP.
“Issues concerning zoning of party leadership and party dynamics are issues which only the party can explain. All I can say is that anything or any position that the Middle Belt is supposed to enjoy should be vigorously pursued for our people to get what is rightfully theirs.
“But in terms of the inter-play within the political parties, that’s what I cannot comment on. Because, for example, let me tell you what happened in 2023. We told them clearly that for equity, fairness and justice, the Presidency has to go to the South, and even to the South, we had to zone to the South-East, given that the South-East had been shortchanged in the entire process.
“And we fought for it jealously, that was how Peter Obi got our support.
“So if any of these parties do the wrong thing of course we will respond accordingly. That is all I can say but as for the party dynamics that zone positions to one sector or the other what we can say is that what should rightfully come to North-Central should come to them.
“Of course, the North-Central, which is part of the Middle Belt, is being shortchanged in so many things,” Pogu said.
The MBF leader blamed the situation on what he described as Nigeria’s defective constitution, which he said has enabled some sections of the country to entrench themselves in leadership positions.
He said, “In Nigeria, some people have entrenched themselves and the machinery to keep themselves in power. And that machinery is what we are fighting against.
“We are saying that the whole problem is due to our defective constitution which vested power and everything at the centre, and people at the centre manipulate things in their favour rather than doing what is right.”