In a recent interview with Daily Independent on Friday, March 20, 2026, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Modele Sarafa-Yusuf, has criticized the idea that only one person from a town or region should be allowed to run for office.
She said it is unfair for people to claim that just because someone comes from a particular place, others from the same area cannot contest, he argued that this thinking limits democracy and excludes qualified candidates.
She pointed to examples from across Nigeria to support her view, in Kogi State, both the current and immediate past governors are from Okene, yet the state accepted it. She also noted that Nigeria has had 14 presidents or heads of state, with some towns producing more than one leader, for instance, two leaders came from Mina, two from Kano, and two from Katsina town.
According to Sarafa-Yusuf, these examples show that consecutive leadership from the same place can work without harming fairness or national unity, she stressed that competence and vision should matter more than where a candidate comes from.
She called on political stakeholders to move beyond narrow narratives about origin or zoning, in her view, allowing talented candidates to run, regardless of their hometowns, strengthens democracy and gives citizens more choices.
Sarafa-Yusuf highlighted the tension between traditional zoning practices and the principle of equal opportunity in Nigerian politics, she urged voters and party leaders to judge candidates by their abilities rather than the region they come from.
”The current governor of Kogi State is from Okene. The immediate past governor is from Okene. We have had 14 presidents or heads of state in Nigeria. Two have been from Mina. Two people have been from Kano. Two people have been from Katsina town,” he said. Read_More…