Osun Guber Poll: Group Stages Protest Against Zoning, Describes Agitation As ‘Hate Speech’

A group, Development Advocacy Group, DAG, has described as hate speech, the clamour for zoning by some politicians seeking governorship ticket in Osun state.

The group, on Tuesday, staged a peaceful rally in Osogbo, Osun state capital, against the zoning arrangement being clamoured for by governorship aspirants from the West Senatorial District of the state.

The youth group, who gathered from all the 30 local governments and the area council, said that zoning is not a convention and has never dictated political direction.

It described zoning agitation as “petty and shenanigan, meant only for the benefit of politically desperate elites at the expense of the masses.

They carried placards of various inscriptions such as: “Merit is Key to Development, “Osun 2018 is our Future, Stop Hate Speech,” “Good Governance is about Merit, “Zoning is Parochial, among others.

According to the group, the appease to zoning is a mere emotional tool and establishment of negative values to serve the interest of a few gladiators and not the people of the state.

Speaking with news men, one of the coordinators of the youth group, Tayo Olarinoye, said the zoning arrangement has no precedence or basis in any laws or any political party’s constitution.

He maintained that the youths will make sure that whoever will emerge candidate of any political party in Osun state must be competent, capable and ready to continue the good work of Governor Rauf Aregbesola.

The Publicity Secretary of DAG, Wasiu Ibrahim, said the group was concerned about the continuity of programmes of Aregbesola, insisting that zoning does not qualify anybody to continue the job.

He said the group want the best candidate to govern the state, saying “zoning would not be the determinant for picking the best candidate.

He described the agitation for zoning as hate speech, insisting that competency would win election in Osun state and not zoning.