Nasarawa West Youths, LGA Chairmen Endorse Governorship Zoning to Western Senatorial District
By Roseline Okafor, Nasarawa.
The initiative to zone the Nasarawa State Governorship position to the Western Senatorial District has gained significant momentum in recent times, with various stakeholders and interest groups expressing their support for the initiative.
This was evident during a courtesy visit by youths from the Nasarawa West youth mobilization to the leader of the movement, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, at his residence in GRA Keffi, where they reaffirmed their commitment to the zoning arrangement and pledged to work tirelessly to ensure its realization.
The visit was seen as a significant endorsement of the movement’s objectives and a clear indication of the growing popularity of the zoning initiative among the populace.
The youths, led by the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Gaza Gwamna, unanimously endorsed the decision that the Western zone should produce the next Governor of Nasarawa State.
The delegation, which comprised the 5 Local Government chairmen in Nasarawa West, commissioners, youth leaders, councillors, and other critical stakeholders, pleaded with the other zones to consider their request.
The Chairmen of Keffi Local Government Area, Dr. Ahmad Damagani, and his counterparts from Karu, Nasarawa, and Toto Local Government Areas, also thrown their weight behind the movement to zone the Governorship position to the Western Senatorial District.
Senator Abdullahi Adamu appreciated the youths for their visit and urged them to intensify their efforts to ensure the success of the zoning movement.
He encouraged them to remain focused and united in their quest for the Governorship position to be zoned to the Western Senatorial District.
The youths also paid a visit to the Emir of Keffi, Dr. Shehu Chindo Yamusa III, where Dr. Gaza Gwamna informed him of their decision to zone the Governorship position to the Western zone.
The Emir thanked them for the visit but cautioned them against politics of bitterness and backbiting and await the direction of Governor Abdullahi Sule.
Other speakers said, Zoning, aimed at promoting fairness and equity among different zones within a state.
In Nasarawa State, the zoning of the Governorship position to the Western Senatorial District (also known as the Keffi zone) is indeed seen as a strategic move to ensure that the zone gets its turn to produce the state’s leader.
This zoning arrangement is rooted in a gentleman’s agreement reached by the state’s political stakeholders in 1996, aimed at fostering peace, stability, and equitable power sharing among the three senatorial districts: North, South, and West.
Each zone has produced governors before: the West and South zones have had their share of leadership for several years, while the current governor from the North zone (Abdullahi Sule) is expected to complete his tenure in 2027.
Stakeholders argue that shifting the governorship back to the Western zone aligns with the principle of power rotation and the Federal Character principle, which advocates equality and inclusiveness in political representation.
This zoning is seen as vital to maintaining political stability, unity, and fairness in the state.
Some political figures, including former governor Abdullahi Adamu, have publicly supported this zoning to the Western zone as a “birth right” for the people there to regain leadership after nearly two decades.
However, this zoning concept is not without controversy, as some voices in the state emphasize that leadership should be earned through democratic choice rather than solely through zoning.
Despite this, zoning remains a key framework influencing the 2027 governorship race in Nasarawa, with political parties like the APC and SDP aligning their candidates with this arrangement to balance regional interests and maintain party cohesion.
