By Rayyanu Bala

At the APC stakeholders’ meeting convened by the first civilian governor of Nasarawa State and former national chairman of the APC, Dr. Abdullahi Adamu, at the Government House Banquet Hall, Governor Abdullahi Sule again made his position on zoning very clear to all.
He said he believed in zoning yesterday, he believes in zoning today, and he will continue to believe in zoning tomorrow.
For me, that statement goes beyond ordinary political rhetoric. It speaks to an understanding of Nasarawa State’s political history and, more importantly, the delicate balance that has kept the state together since its creation.
The zoning of the governorship among the three senatorial zones is, in my view, one of the things holding our political space together. It has provided a sense of fairness, inclusion and belonging among the various parts of the state.
And I strongly believe that if our late father, the Emir of Lafia, His Royal Highness Dr. Isa Mustapha Agwai I, were alive today, he would support Governor Abdullahi Sule’s position on zoning one hundred percent. Indeed, I believe he would oppose any attempt by anybody in Nasarawa State to undermine the principle.
Why do I say this with such confidence?
Yes, anyone familiar with the struggles that preceded the creation of Nasarawa State would understand why zoning became so important to us.
The creation of Nasarawa State did not come without serious disagreements. One of the most contentious issues was where the capital of the new state should be located.
As a young reporter with the Nigerian Standard newspaper in Jos, I was privileged to cover the proceedings of the Mbanefor Committee on the Creation of States and Local Governments during the administration of the late General Sani Abacha. Alhaji Umaru Suleiman Azores was one of the members of that powerful committee.
The committee held it sitting at the former Plateau State House of Assembly complex. Individuals, communities and groups that had submitted memoranda were invited to make oral presentations and defend their positions.
Two memoranda particularly stood out.
One proposed Akwanga as the headquarters of the proposed state, while the other proposed Lafia.
The late Emir of Nasarawa, Alhaji Abubakar Ramalan, defended the proposal for Akwanga, while the late Alhaji Muhammadu Ari Gwaska defended the proposal for Lafia.
At the end of the process, General Sani Abacha created Nasarawa State with Lafia as its capital.
That decision, while settling the question administratively, did not automatically erase the emotions and political sensitivities surrounding the issue.
When General Abdulsalami Abubakar lifted the ban on political party activities in preparation for the 1999 elections, another major question emerged: who would become the first civilian governor of the newly created Nasarawa State?
This was where the principle of zoning became important.
Our leaders of the time understood that Nasarawa State was a young and fragile political entity. There was a need to reassure every zone that it had a stake in the new state.
The issue was discussed, and zoning was agreed upon as a way of giving each of the three zones a sense of ownership and participation in the political leadership of the state.
The late Emir of Lafia, Dr. Isa Mustapha Agwai I, was a man who understood the importance of peace and togetherness. He took the position that since Lafia had been chosen as the capital of the new state, the Keffi zone should have the first opportunity to produce the governor.
This was not because Lafia lacked capable people.
Far from it.
At the time, several prominent and competent individuals from Lafia were interested in the governorship. Among them were the late Dr. Dalhatu Araf, late Haruna Abubakar and late Engineer Tanko Baba Abdullahi.
These were people who had the capacity and political credentials to contest and potentially win.
But the late Emir, in the spirit of unity and togetherness, prevailed on them to step down and allow Dr. Abdullahi Adamu to emerge. And these  three people worked for Abdullahi Adamu.
This was a sacrifice made in the interest of the larger Nasarawa State.
It was against this background that the current debate about zoning cannot simply be reduced to a contest between individuals or political ambitions.
It is about an understanding that has helped manage the political relationship among the three zones of Nasarawa State for almost 27 years.
Of course, every citizen has the constitutional right to contest an election. Nobody should be prevented from aspiring to political office just because of where he or she comes from.
But politics is not only about what is legally permissible. It is also about political understanding, trust, accommodation and keeping agreements that have helped maintain peace.
That is why Governor Abdullahi Sule’s insistence that he believed in zoning yesterday, believes in it today and will believe in it tomorrow deserves serious consideration.
If zoning was considered important enough at the birth of the Fourth Republic to make the political leadership of the time sacrifice personal ambitions for the sake of unity, why should it suddenly become irrelevant when it is someone else’s turn?
This brings me back to the late Emir of Lafia, Dr. Isa Mustapha Agwai I.
I knew enough about his philosophy of leadership to believe that he would place the unity of Nasarawa above individual ambition.
If he were alive today, I strongly believe he would not encourage anyone from Lafia zone to contest the governorship in 2027 if doing so would amount to breaking the existing zoning arrangement.
He would probably remind us of the history of the state.
He would remind us that Lafia has already benefited.
He would remind us of the sacrifices made by leaders from Lafia at the beginning of the democratic journey.
And, above all, he would remind us that political leadership is not always about taking one’s turn when one can. So sometimes, it is about allowing another part of the family to take its turn because the survival of the family matters more than the ambition of an individual.
Nasarawa State is bigger than any politician.
The governorship is bigger than any individual ambition.
And zoning, whether some people like it or not, has become part of the political understanding that has helped keep the state together.
For that reason, the debate over 2027 should not only be about who is qualified to contest. There are many qualified people across the state.
The bigger question should be: what political arrangement will best preserve the peace, fairness and unity of Nasarawa State?
For me, the answer remains zoning.
And if we truly understand the history of how Nasarawa State was created, we should understand why that principle deserves to be protected.
We should also be considerate and appreciate the decision taken by Governor Abdullahi Sule to support the rotation of the governorship to the Keffi zone. In fact, Governor Sule deserves our commendation rather than condemnation or crucification for standing by the principle of zoning and prioritising the unity and stability of Nasarawa State.