By Akombo Aondona, Abuja
Political calculations towards clinching the Nigerian Presidency became more complex on Wednesday as the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) finally shut its doors to the idea of zoning the Presidency to any region of the country.
The earth-shattering decision was disclosed by no other than the National Chairman of the PDP, Dr. Iorchia Ayu, at the national headquarters of the party in Abuja while addressing a group of party faithful under the banner of the North Coalition For Good Governance, who stormed the PDP secretariat to demand for the presidential ticket of the PDP for the North Central Zone.
Ayu, who spoke through the party’s Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Ibrahim Abdullahi, said the PDP had learned from its past mistakes and would not want to repeat them again “especially now that the party is been repositioned to capture power in the 2023 general elections.”
However, Ayu lauded the group for their concerted initiatives towards strengthening the PDP for the 2023 General Elections.
Ayu stated: “We are on the same page with you. We the newly elected members of the national working committee have resolved that this is exactly what we shall pursue. Our objective is to ensure that the six geo-political zones of Nigeria are given equal opportunity to fill the available electives offices to rescue Nigeria and build it to restore the hope which Nigerians have lost in the current government”.
Convener, North Coalition For Good Governance, Mahmood Mohammed Katun, told Ayu that they were at the PDP National secretariat to demand for justice which would be done and seen to have been done by allowing the North, especially the North Central to produce the next president in 2023.
“We are capable of producing the next president. We have the likes of Governor Bala Mohammed, Sen. Bukola Saraki and Governor Yahaya Bello (the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC governor of Kogi State. They can deliver this country from the present situation,” Katun said.
Katun premised the group’s demand on the political history of the PDP since 1999, saying “that the southern part of the country had rule for 14 years under PDP while the North had the presidency for just three years under late President Umar Yar’Adua.”
Ayu’s foreclosure of zoning the PDP presidential tickets would be unwelcome news in the South where political gladiators and socio-cultural groups like the Afenifere, Ohanaeze, and leaders of the South-South region like Chief Edwin Clark have insisted that the major political parties like the PDP and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) should zone their presidential tickets to the South for the sake of equity and justice as well as peace and unity of the country.
The South East, which has never produced a Nigerian president since the ceremonial President Nnamdi Azikiwe of the First Republic (1960-1966), has been quite vociferous in demanding that the Presidency be zone to it in 2023.
Ayu’s announcement is likely to disrupt plans by a former Governor of Anambra State and business mogul, Mr. Peter Obi, to vie for the PDP presidential ticket.
Obi, a popular aspirant who is also from the South East, had issued the caveat that he would only gun for the PDP presidential ticket if the party zoned it to the South.
Political analysts have observed that Mr. Obi issued the proviso out of concern that he might not be able to match deep-pocketed perennial aspirants like former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, whose running mate he was in the 2019 presidential election.
Alhaji Abubakar, who is from the North East, remains a frontline aspirant in the race for the PDP presidential ticket for 2023.
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