A PAPER OF DISCUSSION ON THE PERSPECTIVES ON THE ZONING VS. COMPETENCE CONTROVERSY IN LEADERSHIP SELECTION

PRESENTED BY COMRD. MARTINS ASUKPA (BEING A LAWSAN PRESIDENTIAL ASPIRANT, 2018)

AT THE MAIDEN EDITION OF THE (BARR.) INI EMEMOBONG MOOT & ADVOCACY CHALLENGE 2018

MARTINS ASUKPA

INTRODUCTION:

Generally speaking, we must sincerely admit the fact that indeed there has been a great controversy and subsequently a heated argument at various levels on the concept of zoning of political offices as against that of competence of the occupiers of such political offices.

That is to say, whether much emphasis and attention should be placed on the concept of zoning of the political offices or whether the emphasis should rather be on strictly ascertaining whether the intended occupiers of such office or positions are competent to hold such offices and to also perfectly discharge the responsibilities associated with such an office.

It is therefore as a result of the dire need of settling this controversy, and hitherto finding a much realistic solution to this issue of great contention, that this discussion is organized, and in which I must personally commend the brain behind it.

A BRIEF DISCUSSION IN SUPPORT OF COMPETENCE AS AGAINST ZONING

COMPETENCE as defined by the Oxford Learners Dictionary (8th edition) simply refers to “The ability to do something well or perfectly”

It is a well established fact that for any administration to be successful, then it is not just enough for leaders to be elected into offices, but the said elected or selected leaders must have been competent enough to understand and as well discharge the enormous official tasks and responsibilities expected of them from such offices.

From the above therefore, we can at this very point generally admit that what ensures the delivery of an effective, successful and impacting democratic governance is the application of the concept of COMPETENCE and not the reliance on political zoning.

POLITICAL ZONING on the otherhand is a political technique, recently introduced by some self-centered politicians who possibly lacks the general acceptability of the electorates as the cheapest means of IMPOSSING themselves or their preferred candidates as against the general will and wishes of the people.

IMPACTS OF POLITICAL ZONING

1) Zoning is an indirect means of political imposition of undesired and incompetent leaders and an exclusion of competent and potential leaders.

A clear case study of this is the rece