There may be a beam of hope for popular politicians from the
northern part of Nigeria who have shown interest to run for president in 2023
on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party as the party says it may drop
its zoning culture and throw the presidential primary open to all eligible
members from all over the country.
PDP Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Abdullahi Ibrahim,
on Friday, unequivocally said the leadership of the party was considering
scrapping the idea of zoning for the 2023 Presidency.
Ibrahim, who spoke in an interview with Arise News, also said the PDP won’t wait for the All Progressives Congress
before taking a decision on zoning or otherwise for the 2023 Presidency.
Northern PDP chieftains who have shown interest in getting
the party’s 2023 presidential ticket include former Vice President Atiku
Abubakar; former Senate President, Bukola Saraki; Sokoto State Governor, Aminu
Tambuwal; Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed; and ex-governor of Kano State,
Rabiu Kwankwaso. While some of them had yet to officially declare their
presidential bid, there are strong indications they are eyeing the exalted seat
in Aso Villa.
With just about one year to the 2023 presidential election
and a few months to the party primaries, there has been intense pressure from
the southern region of the country for power shift to the region from the
north.
The 17 southern governors and socio-political groups
including Afenifere, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Pan Niger Delta Forum and the Middle Belt
Forum had constantly insisted that power moved to the south in 2023 after the
eight-year regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), who
is from Katsina State.
The groups had declared that political parties that field
northern presidential candidates won’t enjoy their support in the 2023 general
elections.
Also, foremost Ijaw national leader, Chief Edwin Clark,
recently urged northern presidential aspirants to reconsider their ambition to
avoid “chaos” in the country.
Since Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999 after the dark
years of military despotism, power had swung between the North and the South.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo (Southerner from Ogun
State) was in office from May 1999 to May 2007 on the platform of the PDP while
the late Umaru Yar’Adua from Katsina State in Northern Nigeria, also on the
platform of the PDP, had a short stint in Aso Rock from May 2007 until his
death in May 2010 after battling with an ailment.
Upon his passing, he was succeeded by his deputy, Goodluck
Jonathan, according to the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The
PDP chieftain and former governor of Bayelsa State from Southern Nigeria
contested the 2011 presidential election and returned to office.
Jonathan was, however, kicked out in May 2015 when he lost
his reelection bid to Katsina-born Buhari of the All Progressives Congress who
has since been in power and would complete an eight-year term by May 2023.
In its history, the PDP has zoned four of its six
presidential tickets to southerners since 1999 – two to Obasanjo in 1999 and
2003, and two to Jonathan in 2011 and 2015; while the two others have gone to
northerners – Yar’Adua in 2007 and Atiku in 2019.
So far, southerners have been in office for a total number
of 13 years while northerners would have spent 11 years in Aso Rock when Buhari
completes his second term in May 2023.
Many politicians of northern extraction had argued for the
need to balance the number of years that both the north and south stayed in
power while southern political godfathers and strongmen have vigorously
continued to displace the argument, insisting that the presidency should move
to the south in 2023 after Buhari’s double term. The arguments had at various
times led to strong verbal altercations and exchange of expletives between
southern politicians and northern bigwigs.
Speaking on the television programme on Friday, the PDP
Deputy National Publicity Secretary (Ibrahim) said the PDP is treading softly
to ensure all interests are accommodated before the party comes up with a
decision on its zoning culture.
Ibrahim said, “The haste with which people are just
expecting us to declare zoning now, there are processes of consultations and
engagements which is ongoing. We just have in place a National Working
Committee which is barely two months in office. What it is doing now is to
aggregate all the contending forces and interests and all the divergent views
of Nigerians and come up with an informed decision as to where the Presidency
will be zoned accordingly.”
According to the PDP chieftain, zoning is to strengthen
unity and mutual cohesion because Nigeria is heterogenous in nature hence the
need to allocate responsibilities accordingly.
He said, “It is only PDP that has realised the need to zone
these offices and rotate them accordingly so that every interest, every region
and every contending force within the country will feel among.”
Asked whether the PDP is thinking of jettisoning the idea of
zoning, Ibrahim said, “It is on the table and it is a factor that is taken very
seriously. We’re beginning to look at all of these interests and all of these
clamour to see how we will make an informed decision at the fullness of time.
It is not something we will want to do unilaterally, we will take national
interest and divergent views of Nigerians in coming up with decisions. That is
why we are not rushing things.”
On why the National Executive Council of the PDP has not
taken a decision on the Governor Bala Mohammed report that the presidential
ticket be left open to all interested aspirants, the PDP deputy national
publicity secretary said consultation is ongoing.
Aside from northern politicians, some southern stalwarts of
the PDP including former Senate President and Secretary to the Government of
the Federation, Pius Anyim; former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose;
ex-governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi; media personality, Dele Momodu,
amongst others have also expressed interest in clinching the party’s 2023
presidential ticket in the primary which is expected to hold later this year.
Other presidential hopefuls so far outside of the PDP
include APC leader, Bola Tinubu; Governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi;
ex-Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha; former Governor of Abia State and
Majority Whip of the Senate, Senator Orji Kalu; former Deputy Governor of the
Central Bank of Nigeria, Kingsley Moghalu, among others. Vice-President Yemi
Osinbajo has also been rumoured to nurse an ambition to succeed his boss
through the 2023 election but the professor of law has not officially made his
intention known.
While politicians are engrossed in the zoning debate, the
concerns of millions of Nigerians are about the emergence of a President who
would stabilise the economy, force down inflation through sagacious fiscal
policies, provide conducive operating environment for businesses to thrive,
boost food production, secure lives and property, provide good infrastructure,
quality education and affordable healthcare services.
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com