By Tony Onyima, Ph.D.
With the jostling for the November 8, 2025, Anambra State governorship election getting feverish, zoning is one of the much-discussed topics. Everybody discusses the topic from different perspectives. So, let’s talk about it.
Zoning is an unwritten political arrangement used in Nigeria to allocate political offices among the regions and senatorial zones. In Anambra State, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has championed this principle since 2003, making it a significant pillar of its election strategy. As the November 8, 2025, governorship election approaches, it is essential to note that APGA is the only party that seems to have adopted zoning. Even at that, its understanding of zoning is fraught with insincerity.
Because of the glaring inconsistencies and contradictions, it has become imperative to examine the basis of zoning and its relevance to the upcoming November 8, 2025, election.
Nigeria’s uninterrupted democracy began in 1999. Any zoning framework – if it is to be considered at all – should take its reference point from that year. However, the proponents of zoning, like APGA, conveniently chose 2003 as their starting point, distorting the historical context and ignoring the contributions of earlier administrations. To set the record straight, here is a summary of Anambra’s governorship timeline since 1999:
1. Dr. Chinwoke Mbadinuju (1999-2003) – Anambra South (4 years)
2. Mr. Peter Obi (2006-2014) – Anambra Central (8 years)
3. Chief Willie Obiano (2014-2022) – Anambra North (8 years)
4. Prof Charles Soludo (2022-2026) – Anambra South (4 years by March 2026)
Adding up these tenures, all three senatorial zones – South, Central, and North – have had roughly equal opportunities in governance: Anambra Central, 8 years; Anambra North, 8 years; and Anambra South, 8 years (4 years under Mbadinuju and four under Soludo by 2026. If we factor in Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife’s tenure pre-1999 (January 2, 1992 – November 17, 1993), Anambra South would have had a total of nine years and ten months in office by the end of Soludo’s current tenure. This data proves that no zone is marginalised. Therefore, no moral, historical, or political justification exists for excluding any zone from the 2025 election.
Since their tenures were legally nullified, Dr. Chris Ngige and Senator Andy Uba from the Central and South were not considered in the zoning calculations above.
One of the biggest challenges of zoning is the lack of clarity and consensus on its structure. Key questions remain unanswered:
1. When was zoning formally adopted? There is no record of an official agreement on zoning in Anambra State.
2. What is the agreed rotational sequence? Should it be Central → North → South or South → Central → North? Without a widely accepted order, zoning remains arbitrary and susceptible to manipulation.
Given these inconsistencies, the claim that zoning must favour Anambra South in 2025 is baseless.
Beyond its inconsistencies, zoning limits the pool of qualified candidates and can result in leadership based on geography rather than competence. Anambra is one of Nigeria’s most economically and politically strategic states. It deserves a governor chosen based on vision, capacity, and leadership skills – not senatorial district. The 2025 election presents an opportunity to prioritise merit over zoning. Regardless of the zone, the best candidate should emerge through a competitive process that allows people to choose freely.
However, if zoning is to be adopted, it must be done transparently and fairly. That requires a clearly defined sequence and a broad consensus among political stakeholders. Such a structured approach should begin from a fresh cycle—not through the selective arguments being pushed.
Until such an agreement is reached, 2025 remains a free and open contest in which every qualified candidate, irrespective of zone, has the right to participate.
The 2025 election push for zoning is logically weak and historically inconsistent. All three senatorial zones have had equal opportunities to govern, and no zone is entitled to special consideration. Instead of restricting leadership to one zone, Anambra should focus on electing the best candidate with the vision, competence, and integrity to lead the state forward.
It is time to move beyond the divisive politics of zoning and embrace a merit-based leadership selection process. The future of Anambra depends on it.
