The Rivers State governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, Ugo Beke, has said the implementation of the Bimodal Voter Verification System will eradicate zoning agitations in Nigeria.
Beke, a merchant banker and financial consultant, who spoke with newsmen in Lagos state, said people are agitating for zoning because they feel their votes are not valid and they are being ignored.
He stated that the implementation of BVAS will revive the confidence that people should have in the electoral process.
The APGA governorship candidate who said he never believed in zoning stressed that the principle has caused more problems for the country.
He further stated that the founding fathers of the nation were more concerned about the development of the country than zoning.
He emphasized that zoning should not be encouraged for the sake of national unity and economic growth.
He added, “I don’t believe in the concept of zoning; If you understand what democracy is and its origins, before Abraham Lincoln said government of the people, by the people and for the people, those things were not considered. At that point, the people who were allowed to participate in democracy are the property owners and stakeholders.
“Now, everyone is asking for zoning; the problem is how do you manage microsite zoning? We did it with the federal civil service through the Federal character. Nigeria used to have the best civil service in the entire world. In the 70’s they created Federal Character and it destroyed our civil service.
“The original intention that they thought he was going to manage was worse. Today, the rest of the country is saying that the Hausa have taken over the entire civil service. Meanwhile, the Hausas are people who didn’t even exist before.
“Federal character is like zoning, and that’s why I’m against zoning, because if zoning is allowed, it will create the same problem that federal character has caused us. Today the NNPC is dominated by the Hausas, but we are federal in nature.
“So even zoning, if it’s allowed into our body politic and added to our constitution, I think it’s going to create more problems than intended because you won’t be able to figure out how to limit zoning.”
Speaking about his agenda, Beke said that when he wins the 2023 general election, his efforts will focus on the economy, human capital development and security.
According to him, not all issues of ballot box capture will be important on election day.
Beke added: “I think INEC has no choice but to submit to the supremacy of what has been put in place. That’s why I’m sure the votes will be counted in 2023.”
He is confident that the process will guarantee his victory.
However, he promised to establish a security fund to address various security challenges in the state, while also promising to build an entirely new city that would rival Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
