Temidayo Akinsuyi, Lagos

After the successful conduct of its na­tional convention, governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Demo­cratic Party (PDP) have unanimously agreed to throw the presidential ticket of the party open.

This will allow intending aspirants from both the North and Southern parts of the country to participate in the presidential primary slated for next year.

There was a sharp division among PDP governors on the issue of zoning of the ticket. While PDP governors from the Southern part of the coun­try alongside their All Progressives Congress (APC) counterparts under the aegis of the Southern Governors’ Forum insisted that the presidency must shift to the South in 2023, the PDP and APC governors in the Northern Governors’ Forum rejected it, saying the position of their Southern counterparts negates the position of the constitution.

The 19 Southern governors from the APC, All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), and PDP at their meeting in Lagos in July had issued a communi­qué where they agreed that the presidency should be zoned to Southern Nigeria in 2023 when President Muhammadu Bu­hari completes his second term.

The governors, who again met in Enugu in September, also reiterated their commit­ment towards ensuring that the major political parties complied with their resolution on zoning of the presidential ticket to the South.

Ondo State governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, who is the Chair­man of the Southern Gover­nors’ Forum, had also said any political party that fields a Northern candidate for the presidency in 2023 risks losing the support of Southerners.

In his response, Chairman of the Northern Governors’ Forum and governor of Pla­teau State, Simon Lalong, in an 11-point resolution of their meeting, condemned the state­ment by Southern Governors’ Forum that the presidency must go to the South.

“The statement is quite con­tradictory with the provision of the constitution of the Fed­eral Republic of Nigeria (1999) as amended that the elected president shall score the ma­jority votes; score at least 25% of the votes cast in 2/3 states of the federation. In the case of run-up simple majority win the election”, he said.

Speaking with Daily Inde­pendent on Wednesday, a for­mer leader in the Senate who is a chieftain of the PDP said the governors have harmonised their position and have agreed that the ticket be thrown open in order to ensure fairness and allow for the best candidate to emerge.

He said even though not all the party members agreed that the ticket be thrown open, majority of the members, led by the governors believe that it is the right thing to do.

“There is no controversy among PDP on the position of where the presidential can­didate of the party will come from in 2023. That has been re­solved and the position is that the ticket will be thrown open to all aspirants so that the best candidate will emerge and no region will feel shortchanged that they are excluded from participating, which would have happened if the ticket is zoned.

“We have some members who are saying that since the North has produced the chairman, then the presidency should automatically come to the South. But those canvass­ing this argument are in the minority while those who want it thrown open are in the major­ity. Like they say, in democracy, the minority will have their say while the majority will have their way”, he said.

Prior to now, there were ru­mours that the PDP leadership had concluded plans to zone the presidential ticket to the North while the South will produce the national chairman of the party.

However, the calculations changed few days to the nation­al convention. Iyorchia Ayu, a former Senate President from Benue State, North-Central part of the country, was elected as national chairman.

Also speaking in an in­terview monitored by Daily Independent, Governor Ahma­du Fintiri of Adamawa State said there is great wisdom in throwing the ticket open to all aspirants instead of zoning it to any particular region.

Fintiri, who was the chair­man of the PDP Convention Committee, said zoning is not the problem of Nigeria today but getting a credible candidate from anywhere in the country who can unite the people and improve security and economic life of the nation.

“I saw wisdom if the PDP ticket will be thrown open be­cause the problem of Nigeria today is not about zoning. It is for us to look for a credible can­didate, anywhere that person comes from, irrespective of his religion or tribe.

“What Nigerians are after today is to have a good leader that will be able to deliver on our economy and security. A good leader that will impact on human development and one that will be able to deploy the kind of infrastructure that we will need in this country that can roll out the economy prop­erly so that this country can take its position in the comity of nations”.

https://independent.ng/finally-pdp-governors-agree-to-throw-presidential-ticket-open/

Ok

Let the best man get it

Omo, throwing ticket open is only good for Atiku

Wikeeee

Gov. Fintiri have said well. So lets say Osinbajo decamp to the PDP to run for presidency?

Good, ket SW bring Asiwaju or Osinbajo to face Atiku. The beating to be like segè

They are just being smart to checkmate APC

That has been the agreement before.

The new Pdp party chairman who is from North would simply use his position for Northern candidate to emerge at Pdp primary then resign.

With the look of things, Pdp may be considering SS running mate as SE election turnout would be the lowest ever in 2023 election.

The Easterners are not ready to attract undecided voters to their side, you don't want to question their beliefs and ideology, na insult go follow.. Very bad market for winning an election

The north is hell bent on ruling this country forever , but God in heaven will never allow that happen

If Southern aspirants unite and present a candidate, they can defeat him. But i dont think any southerner wants to contest in PDP

Sammy07:
Omo, throwing ticket open is only good for Atiku

Wikeeee

Now, that's wisdom

nairavsdollars:
If Southern aspirants unite and present a candidate, they can defeat him. But i dont think any southerner wants to contest in PDP

They can, the problem is in PDP, who can match Atiku money for money, and support for support in the South.

nairavsdollars:
If Southern aspirants unite and present a candidate, they can defeat him. But i dont think any southerner wants to contest in PDP

Yeah, no southerner is going for presidency in PDP, nah V.P and then I think only wike is showing his interest for v.p.

BTW, wike will kidda be bad as v.p. He's too hard.

they throw it open? nairalanders will you vote me if i contest? ma go buy ticket

19 southern Governors ke? Are they up to 19? I thought they're 17.

If that is the case PDP will suffer defeat in 2023 because the party chairman has gone to north already then if the presidency ticket open for every region north will definitely get the ticket.

Sammy07:
Omo, throwing ticket open is only good for Atiku

Wikeeee

atiku and saraki has already been rigged out.
The contest is between tambuwal and bala Mohammed

Heramu:
They rely on north to vote for Atiku

Cos northern people vote based on ethnic background

If south can come out in mass to vote for APC southern candidate, their plan won't work

Northern population is erroneously believed to be greater than south

atiku and saraki has been rigged out.
PDP govs want their colleague to be flagbearer and throw vp position open to others

[s]

johnmartus:
If that is the case PDP will suffer defeat in 2023 because the party chairman has gone to north already then if the presidency ticket open for every region north will definitely get the ticket.

[/s]

SE/SS will vote for a northerner candidate

kiss the truth

Validated:
Good, ket SW bring Asiwaju or Osinbajo to face Atiku. The beating to be like segè

Atiku and saraki has been rigged out from the congress and convention.
The Govs now call shot in pdp and their candidates re tambuwal and bala mohammed.

Validated:
Good, ket SW bring Asiwaju or Osinbajo to face Atiku. The beating to be like segè

Keep fooling yourself. It is the collective strength and official political might of a Party, plus the popularity of a candidate, that wins elections. Never one on its own.

You guys keep putting your desperate hope of seeing Yorubas defeated on Atiku's popularity alone without noting that the PDP is going backwards and weakening as a political force.

PDP is a shadow of what it was in 2019 when Atiku put in a decent showing. By next year, with the expected gale of defection away from the PDP towards the APC, the opposition Party will be a skeleton.

That is what will ensure that APC will still be easily victorious even if the Party ran with a lightweight like Fayemi let alone the likes of BAT and Osinbajo who are popular in the North.

The 'anyone but Yoruba' malice flowing in your vein is blinding you to the reality playing out right before our eyes.

The North can rule forever

Watch and see, a set of people will still argue that the ticket should have been wrapped in a gift box and handed over to them. Non of them will come out to compete and eventually, the ticket will go to the North or South south.

johnmartus:
If that is the case PDP will suffer defeat in 2023 because the party chairman has gone to north already then if the presidency ticket open for every region north will definitely get the ticket.

Party chairman goes to which North, na now you go know say Nigeria get middle belt. You think the northerners didn't know what they were doing when they lubby the south to vote for the chairman? What it as the game played out. Now the South East will lost the two most prominent representative position of the party they had stayed with for years

alizma:
Watch and see, a set of people will still argue that the ticket should have been wrapped in a gift box and handed over to them. Non of them will come out to compete and eventually, the ticket will go to the North or South south.

That's what they always do. Sit on the sideline insulting/blackmailing others and wishing them failure rather than focus on their own ambitions and political interests. Hurting others is more rewarding to them than making political progress.

They have no plans to get involved bravely and sacrifice time and resources to compete.

Even as doing that may improve their experience and visibility, and boost goodwill others have for them, they are still not interested.

All is to remain on the side playing politics of hate and enmity while waiting to get crumbs, like VP position, from the table of those who have cemented their place as the major political players of Nigeria. Pathetic.

Imagine wishing Atiku, a Fulani , defeats any SW candidate meanwhile ala Igbo is burning today because IPOB, ESN, UGM etal claim they are committed to fighting and repelling Buhari and Fulanis to the death. What symbolizes a confused people more than that?

It would be like Britain fighting Nazi imperialism and fascism to then go ahead and vote Adolf Hitler or Oswald Mosley Prime Minister of the UK. Lunacy.

�

This is shear betrayal of the people by the PDP southern leaders.
It is a clear plot to handover ticket to a Northerner. They're only playing god by throwing the contest open.

Validated:
Good, ket SW bring Asiwaju or Osinbajo to face Atiku. The beating to be like segè

osibanjo will do better than tinubu but osibanjo lack financial muscle