A leading presidential aspirant on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Alhaji Mohammed Hayatudeen, has warned that the ongoing zoning debate is diverting attention from urgent challenges threatening Nigeria’s survival.
Speaking on Political Paradigm on Channels Television, the economist, banker and public policy expert called for a shift in national discourse toward what he described as more pressing issues — insecurity, economic decline and the urgent need for job creation.
“Last week, 416 people were abducted and threatened with execution. What has that got to do with zoning?” he asked.
“The thousands of our fellow citizens 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?”
Hayatudeen argued that Nigeria needs leaders defined not by geography but by competence, character and empathy.
“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 Nigerian,” he said.
He maintained that the country’s security crisis cannot be addressed in isolation, linking rising violence to decades of economic mismanagement.
“Nothing happens in a vacuum. There has to be an underlying cause,” he said. “The economy has been under-managed and underperformed for at least 20 years. Consequently, poverty has risen significantly, with about 110 million Nigerians now living below the poverty line.”
He dismissed claims that insecurity is driven by election cycles, insisting that available data does not support such assertions.
“I am a numbers guy. I have compared the data with think tanks abroad and institutions within Nigeria. The evidence does not support that narrative,” he said.
Explaining his decision to run on the ADC platform after previously aspiring under the PDP, Hayatudeen said the party’s constitution, manifesto and leadership align with his vision.
“Their leaders are forthright, tenacious and experienced. They have the determination to mobilise everything required to contest and win elections at all levels,” he said.
He added that the ADC’s focus on the cost of living crisis, insecurity, job creation and poverty eradication reflects both his priorities and those of ordinary Nigerians.
Hayatudeen also raised concerns about what he described as the shrinking political space in the country.
“What the government has done, through surrogates and instruments of state, is to muzzle the political space, making it difficult for Nigerians to exercise genuine freedom of choice,” he said.