Deputy National Financial Secretary of the ADC, Oladimeji Fabiyi, has criticised the growing debate around zoning ahead of the 2027 general election, describing it as an “elite conspiracy” that does not reflect the real concerns of ordinary Nigerians.
Fabiyi made the remarks during an interview from 8:01 on Trust TV News and shared on YouTube on Thursday, May 14, 2026. The ADC official spoke while responding to questions concerning the party’s position on zoning, especially as several political parties have already indicated preferences regarding the regional distribution of political power ahead of the next presidential election.
During the interview, the host pointed out that major political parties, including the PDP, APC, NDC and SDP, had all taken positions on zoning, while the ADC appeared to be standing apart on the issue.
The interviewer said, “Let’s talk about the elephant in the conversation as the case may be, zoning. PDP has zoned, APC has zoned, obviously. NDC has zoned, SDP has zoned. You’re the only one that stands out when it comes to zoning. Some would say the ADC is not reading the room very well. Isn’t that a fair comment to make?”
Responding, Fabiyi dismissed the criticism and argued that politics should be driven by strategy and shared vision rather than sentiment or pressure. “Here they go again,” he said.
He added, “See, politics is not about emotion. It’s not about blackmail. It’s not about trying to just push people to where you wanna go. It’s about strategy. It’s about alliances. It’s about working together. It’s about bringing people who share a vision together. That’s what exactly what ADC is doing.”
Fabiyi further stated that, in his personal opinion, the ADC should not adopt zoning as a political arrangement. “So as far, in my own opinion, this is my own personal opinion, I would never support my party to zone because we have no business dealing with zoning. I’ve told you this several times,” he said.
The ADC chieftain argued that public discussions around zoning were largely disconnected from the daily struggles faced by Nigerians, insisting that citizens were more concerned about economic hardship and insecurity. “Now, let me ask you this question. To let you know that those who are talking about zoning, like I’ve always said, it’s just a political gimmick to satisfy selfish interests. I still maintain that,” he stated.
Fabiyi also questioned why nationwide protests had consistently focused on hardship rather than regional power rotation: “Now, all of this while, you know that this is at least conspiracy. At least conspiracy. And I say this because all this time you’ve been seeing protests across the country. How many times have you seen a protest based on zoning? Tell me one. If you see any protest, it’s about hunger in the land, it’s about poverty, it’s about insecurity, it’s about unemployment, it’s about bad economy.”
According to him, Nigerians are more interested in leadership capable of improving their living conditions than in regional political arrangements. “How many times have you seen comrades, this is to tell you that Nigerians don’t care about that. It’s about who will give them the kind of life they desire,” he added….Read_More…