A leading presidential aspirant on the platform of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Mohammed Hayatudeen, has said that the ongoing debate over zoning is distracting Nigerians from the country’s more urgent and life-threatening challenges.
Speaking on the Political Paradigm programme on Channels Television, the economist and public policy expert argued that national attention should shift away from political rotation debates toward pressing issues such as insecurity, economic decline, and mass unemployment.
He questioned the relevance of zoning in the face of daily national tragedies, citing widespread violence and hardship across the country.
“Last week, 416 people were abducted and threatened with execution. What has that got to do with zoning? The thousands killed over the last three years, what has that got to do with zoning? The mother who cannot afford food, the father who cannot send his child to school—what has any of that got to do with zoning?” he asked.
According to a statement from the Mohammed Hayatudeen Media Office, the former banker insisted that Nigeria requires leadership based on competence, character, and empathy rather than regional considerations.
“It doesn’t matter where you come from. What matters is that you have the capacity, the skill, the vision and the deep empathy to deliver for every single Nigerian,” he said.
Hayatudeen linked Nigeria’s worsening insecurity to long-term economic mismanagement, arguing that poverty and unemployment have fuelled instability across the country.
He claimed that Nigeria’s economy has underperformed for at least two decades, leading to a dramatic rise in poverty levels.
“Consequently, poverty has increased five or sixfold, with about 110 million Nigerians now living below the poverty line,” he stated.
The ADC chieftain also dismissed suggestions that insecurity is largely driven by electoral cycles, insisting that available data does not support that narrative.
“I am a numbers guy. I have compared data with think tanks abroad and institutions within Nigeria. The evidence does not support that claim,” he said.
Explaining his choice of the ADC after previously contesting under the PDP, Hayatudeen said the party’s ideology aligns with his vision for national transformation.
He added that the party’s focus on insecurity, unemployment, poverty reduction, and cost-of-living challenges reflects the priorities of ordinary Nigerians.
Hayatudeen also raised concerns about shrinking democratic space, alleging that political freedoms are being constrained by state actors and their allies.
