As preparations for the 2023 elections begin in earnest, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is in a quandary as to how to resolve the issue of where to zone the presidential ticket of the party as the issue of North vs South contest for where the next President of the country should come from continues to generate

The party leaders, led by the national chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu and stakeholders are divided on the issue. Yet, time is running as the party has fixed May 28 for the national convention where the presidential candidate will emerge. Also, some northern and southern candidates have been purchasing nomination and Expression of Interest forms While the eight governors of the party from the South joined their counterparts in the PDP from the same region to continuously demand that the presidential candidate come from their area, the five others from the North, as well as other stakeholders from their area, want the position to be open to all and sundry.

Former Vice- President, Atiku Abubakar, who was the PDP’s presidential candidate in the 2019 elections stirred the hornet’s nest few days ago when he faulted calls by some PDP members asking the party to zone its presidential ticket to a particular section of the country. He said the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria does not recognise zoning and as such should be jettisoned.

Reacting to Atiku’s statement, the Southern and Middle Belt Alliance (SaMBA) described his comments as disappointing and hypocritical.

“The same Alhaji Atiku had on December 15, 2010, warned the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party not to jettison the already existing zoning of the PDP at the National Stakeholders Conference of the party in 2010 which had the present National Chairman of the party, Iyorchia Ayu, in attendance.

“Atiku also in an interview with Daily Trust on June 6, 2013, urged the PDP to return to the principle of zoning. SaMBA therefore demand to know from Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, what exactly had changed between 2010 and 2013 and today that the former vice-president is fighting against zoning the Presidency in 2023.”

Also speaking, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) said “My take is that Atiku is speaking for himself. What he is saying is for his own benefit. Anything he prescribes, he puts himself first. Otherwise, if a person wants to be fair and wants the unity of this country and wants to recognise that each part of the country should exercise power and be a full member of the federation, he won’t say zoning should be disregarded”.

“His statement was borne out of selfish reasons because he wants to contest again in 2023. It just shows really that he cannot be a good leader. He is not saying it out of principles but because of selfishness. The problem of this country is that the leadership has been mainly one that operates in their own interest rather than that of the country. We are tired of that”.

Zoning to the PDP is not a matter that can be treated with levity because it is enshrined in Article 7 of the party’s constitution where the party specifically states that it will adhere to the principle of zoning of elective offices between the various regions in the country.

The group that wants zoning argues that after eight years of President Muhammadu Buhari from the Northwest, the next President of Nigeria should come from one of the three zones in the South. Those in this group also argued that the PDP today has its safe states in the South-south and Southeast and that it is only good for the party to reward the zone with the presidential ticket.

However, the other stakeholders in the party are arguing that the party should refrain from zoning to allow the best candidate to emerge. This group noted that what the party needs is a solid candidate who can win the election and defeat the APC, not a regional candidate. They believe that the party should first win the 2023 general elections before thinking of zoning key positions. They further extended their argument to the fact that the last president produced by the party is a southerner and that between 1999 and 2023, the presidency would have stayed in the south for 14 years and in the north for just ten years, meaning that if the next President comes to from the north, the region will still be doing catch up with the North.

However, the pro-south advocate countered that Nigeria did not start in 1999 and that between 1960 the country gained independence and now, the north has produced leaders for more than 40 of the 61 post-independence years.

After reviewing the arguments of all the sides, political analysts believe that the PDP must be careful not to fall into the subterfuge game being planned for them by the ruling party.

Recently, Ayu, the party’s national chairman, while speaking at the inauguration of the 37-member zoning committee in Abuja, said the PDP will stick to its custom of rotating its political offices among geopolitical zones in the country.

“PDP has a history of rotating our offices. Anybody who doesn’t get it this time should wait after the tenure of whoever will be our next president. We believe PDP is going to produce the next President once we start this journey. This time, we will ensure it goes round. And it will go round with justice, fairness and the interests of Nigeria,” he said.

According to Jesse Akeshika, a lawyer and public affairs analyst “One, the ruling party APC is not comfortable that while it is embroiled in serious crisis about how to elect members of the national working committee, the PDP, as far back as last October had held a peaceful, rancour-free convention to elect its leadership. Thus, the APC will do anything to promote crisis in the leading opposition party”.

“ Incidentally, APC governors and leaders are the ones leading the chorus on the campaign for the southern presidency. Among the 17 southern governors championing the shift of the presidential powers to the south, nine of them are in the APC. Also, the APC as the ruling party was formed on the basis that the Southwest which aligned with the Northwest to win the 2015 elections for Buhari will produce his successor in 2023. Thus, it seems the APC leaders in the South were the ones coming out loudest on the issue of the Southern presidency”.

“The plot is to lure the PDP to also go the route of the South so that it will not have any advantage over the ruling party in the next presidential election. Meanwhile, the APC has spent the last seven years grooming people from the South to contest the 2023 presidential polls.

Therefore a southern presidency is an APC plot to lure PDP and the rest of the opposition to a region where it presently enjoys comparative advantage. Thus, the APC may just be canvassing the idea of Zoning to lead PDP into its safe area where it has a comparative advantage”.

Speaking further, he said “It is also being argued that in 2015 when the APC should have allowed then President Goodluck Jonathan, a southerner to complete its term or pick a southerner to contest against him, it went to the North to select a presidential candidate to exploit the advantage over the then ruling party. Now, the APC is afraid the PDP might do the same and go to the north where it might have more support and also where it has solid, leading candidates who can defeat the ruling party”.

“ It is for these reasons that the PDP must be careful not to make the political pitfall being designed and dug by the APC. “

Mooh247:




PDP suffers from just one single problem

Greed for money and quick gains


Everyone with sense in Nigeria knows it's SouthEast turn to produce a PDP Presidential flagbearer after years of dedicated support even after Atiku,. Saraki, and even Goodluck Jonathan left PDP after 2015 loss... Ibos stayed back and defended PDP religiously



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HitRun:


What is the point in contesting and losing? A south east VP is better than nothing. And after the power comes back south it goes to south east.