Pulse.ng : Zangon Kataf council chairmanship: Group warns against violating rotation agreement

By Ezra Musa

The people of Zangon Kataf have raised concerns about the violation of the agreed rotation of the council chairmanship between the people of Zonkwa and Zango Kataf constituencies.

The agreement ensures that the council chairmanship is returned to the other constituency after the incumbent finishes his or her term in office.

Addressing newsmen in Kaduna on Monday, the former National Coordinator of the SOKAPU Youth Wing, Sabastine Luka, stated that the incumbent council chairman, Mr Francis Sani, was supposed to relinquish the position to the Zango Kataf constituency.

He lamented that Sani refused and even contested the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chairmanship primary election, which he won.

According to him, “The emergence of Francis A. Sani, popularly known as Zimbo, as the PDP chairmanship candidate for a second consecutive time, despite the existence of a zoning and rotation agreement which bars him from running as council chairman for a second term, calls for serious concern.

“As patriotic citizens, therefore, we cannot fold our arms and watch until the situation degenerates into a full-blown crisis. We are, therefore, calling for the unity of all men and women of goodwill within and outside the LGA at this trying time for our dear Zangon Kataf local government.”

He stated that the incumbent chairman, Francis Sani, and what he called “his corrupt political contractors” in Zango Kataf constituency allegedly collected huge sums of money to go against the established norm of the zoning and rotation system in the LG, saying that he must rescind his desire to restore the peace and unity of the people, which their founding fathers worked and fought very hard to sustain.

According to him, the attempt to impose Zimbo on the people again is an affront to their collective sensibility, a threat to fragile unity and peace, destructive to unity, and disrespectful to the revered elders whose caution against doing so was disregarded.

Luka hailed all the PDP delegates who bravely stood on the side of truth and justice by rejecting the rumored N100,000 to N500,000 largesse offered by the incumbent council chairman to delegates willing to sell their votes, and voted instead with a view to sustaining the rotation agreement and ensuring fairness.

He explained that although they did not succeed in the primary election, the 118 votes they gave Benjamin Bako, which is equivalent to the votes of over five wards, speaks volumes.

He urged them never to feel discouraged or waver but to demonstrate similar commitment during the secondary election by putting their unity first and above party considerations, and thus, vote for the candidates of other political parties that have shown commitment to justice and fairness.

He expressed concern over the rumor that Francis Sani breached the agreement and is unapologetic about it because his political godfather and benefactor, Sunday Katung, has allegedly secured the commitment of the state governor to concede the council chairmanship of the LG to the Senator’s candidate and party at a meeting in France.