By Myke Uzendu
The fate of 15 cleared Presidential aspirants of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) will be decided on Wednesday, as the party is expected to make a pronouncement on zoning of Presidential ticket ahead of it’s Primary election scheduled to take place on the 28 – 29th of May, during it’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting which will hold on Wednesday.
The NEC meeting had suffered several setbacks which was attributed to a three man ad-hoc delegate election taking place in different parts of the country.
The party had earlier constituted a 37 man committee chaired by Gov. Samuel Ortom of Benue State to take a decision on zoning and the committee had since submitted it’s report to the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party.
The Ortom led committee which did not disclose it’s recommendations said that all members of the committee were in agreement about the decision and we’re signatories to the report.
According to Hon. Tony Elumelu, vice Chairman of the committee who presented the report to the Sen. Iyorchia Ayu National Working Committee (NWC) disclosed that the decision of the committee would be made known to “party members across the country and all Nigerians who are eagerly awaiting the final decision of your committee.”
Sources close to the committee had stated that the party’s leadership was more interested in how to win the presidential election than zoning of the presidency which might hamper their effort to regain power in 2023.
Even as it is being speculated that the committee recommended that the Presidential ticket should be thrown open, former Ekiti State governor Ayu Fayose who is one of the Presidential aspirants insisted that the party must zone the ticket unequivocally to the South.
Speaking to journalist after his screening exercise, Fayise said, “Well, I say it again, very expressly, that I am for zoning and I believe the best thing this party can do for posterity, for tomorrow, so as not to cause confusion is for this party to zone this presidential campaign or presidential election.
“You know why, If we fail to do it, even if we say anybody can contest, you must officially zone it to the South.
This is also yhe position of some oher presidential aspirants like Anyim Pius Anyim,
Governor’s Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, Peter Obi and many others, who argued that the Governor Ifeantyi Ugwuanyi led zoning committee during the party’s National convention has already shown the way
Despite the fact that governors of the party from the South after a meeting in April in Asaba insisted that the presidential ticket of the party must be zoned to the South, Peter Obi and Gov. Emmanuel Udom of Akwa Ibom state said that they are favourably disposed to accept the decision of the party on the issue of zoning.
Obi said, “The party has the final say. I can’t have a thought; I’m a member of a party. If the party says this is where they want the party to go, if you’re a member of an organization, you respect that organization. And that is why I said, whatever we do, the most critical thing is, what we do to pull Nigerians out of poverty and create a future for teeming unemployed youths of Nigeria.”
But it appears the Northern aspirants are on a move to truncate the Consensus arrangement, arguing that they have the demography and that the party should strategize on winning the election instead of zoning.
An elder statesman, Tanko Yakassai has urged the PDP to zone its presidential ticket to the South for the sake of stability and justice.
He also that the APC has no reason not to zone its presidential ticket to the South as the Presidency of Muhammadu Buhari comes to an end by 2023 having been elected in 2015.
He said: “The presidential ticket of the APC is expected to rotate between North and South.”
Tanko Yakassai said: “Though the timing is not ripe now as the PDP could have decided the zoning of its presidential ticket at least six months before now, for equity and stability of the country, the PDP should zone its presidential ticket to the zone that has not produced it since the return to democracy after several years of military rule.
“My advice to the PDP as the party meets on Wednesday to discuss where the presidential ticket of the party will come from, I think that much as the timing is late, the party should listen to the voice of reason and give the South-east that opportunity. This will help reduce the tension in the country and help stabilise the country. We are in real danger over this agitation to shift power to the South,” he explained.
He described the support of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) for the North to retain power as a arbinger of crisis, insisting that it is not the fault of anybody that the north presented an incompetent person for the presidency in 2015.
“From 2015 to 2023, the presidency of the country would have stayed in the North and therefore for equity and stability power should shift to the south and in fact to the geopolitical zone that have not have it since the return of democracy.”
According to Yakassai, “the APC is duty-bound to ensure that power shifts to the South.”
“For the PDP, it is not the party in power, but for the stability and giving a sense of belonging, I would support that it is zoned to the South and in the South-east in particular. This will help to heal the wounds of the nation as was the case in 1999 went the country was bleeding as the result of the June 12 agitation”
2023: Zoning tops agenda as PDP NEC meets Wednesday
