By Jubril Bada

Ahead of tomorrow’s governorship primary in Ondo state, prominent female governorship aspirant on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC ) in the state, Mrs. Funmilayo Waheed-Adekojo has criticized the zoning arrangement in the state, arguing that the rotational system might not produce development outcomes.

Waheed-Adekojo, who hails from Arigidi Akoko, suggested that the next governor should come from the North Senatorial District as a form of compensation for loyalty to the late Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, who didn’t complete his second term.

She asserted that she possesses the qualifications necessary to secure the APC governorship ticket tomorrow and complete Akeredolu’s second term in the interest of fairness and equity.

She made these remarks during a press briefing held at the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre in Akure, the state capital, on Friday.

According to her, “Down to Ondo, since the creation of the Sunshine State in 1976, no woman had the opportunity to govern the state as those who had tried had their dreams thwarted during party primaries and since then, men have continued to be in the driving seat of governance and occupying the number one position.

“Another issue that had contributed to the myriad of problems of underdevelopment in the state is the zoning arrangement.

“Undoubtedly, the idea of zoning the governorship position among the three senatorial districts; Ondo Central, Ondo North and Ondo South, every four years was instituted with the good intention of ensuring that no senatorial zone is permanently excluded from power.

“Zoning, in its real sense, was a concept with a noble intention of fostering equitable, all-inclusive, and balanced development across the Sunshine State.

“But on the contrary, despite the zoning arrangement by political parties in Ondo State since 1999, the state continues to face significant challenges in infrastructural and human capital development.”

She acknowledged that the development crave in the State cannot be achieved through the concept of zoning, as the rotational system has failed to produce the desired developmental outcomes for the state.

“Rather than allowing the most qualified candidate to emerge through a competitive electoral process, political parties impose candidates based solely on their geographic origin, letting the good people of Ondo State entrust governance to individuals who may lack the requisite skills and vision needed to propel development effectively,” she noted.

She pointed out the perpetuation of ethnic divisions within the state as another negative effect of the zoning policy, which consciously reinforces personal interest and undermines the sense of collective responsibility for the state’s development.

The fragmentation, she said, hinders efforts to foster unity and collaboration among different communities and obstructs progress in the state on a broader scale.