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Southern PDP govs insist on zoning party’s presidential ticket to region

The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) following the decision of the party’s zoning committee to throw open its 2023 presidential ticket, took a different twist as Southern governors on the party’s platform have insisted that the ticket must be zoned to the South.

The governors who made their stance known after a meeting at the Akwa Ibom Governor’s lodge in Asokoro, Abuja, on Friday, said it was only fair and equitable for the party to zone its 2023 presidential ticket to the South.

The governors who were part of the meeting included Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Udom Emmanuel (Akwa Ibom), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Douye Diri (Bayelsa) and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu).

Addressing newsmen at the end of the meeting, Abia State Governor, Ikpeazu, who is the Vice Chairman of PDP Governors’ Forum, said those against zoning have not actually told anyone, “why zoning will not give us victory.

“We feel that the best thing to do is zone the presidency to the South, and we stand on that position.

“Our position is that first, we are committed to the unity of our party and we have worked hard to make sure that this party remains a strong and viable vehicle to ‘rescue’ Nigeria come 2023.

“Be that as it may, we want to draw attention to the fact that we have agreed as Southern Governors in Lagos and also in Delta that this party has to respect the zoning principle as enshrined in our Constitution.

“And to that effect, we feel that the best thing to do is zone the presidency to the South, and we stand on that position,” Ikpeazu said.

“We have not seen any reason to change our position, because the party was founded on the basis of equity and justice.

We also think that equity and justice are important pillars that will ultimately stabilise our politics towards our journey in rescuing Nigeria,” he added.

On what would happen to aspirants outside the Southern region who have purchased forms, Ikpeazu said the party must be firm in its decisions and policies.

“If you want to take a position of policy, you don’t look at problems in their face and take decision. You take a decision and remain firm on that decision. We think what is lacking in this country today is our ability to dispense equity and justice. It may be difficult, it may be a bitter pill but we need to stand with the truth.”

Zoning APC presidential ticket to north tantamount to third term —Sen Ndume

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Army, Senator Ali Ndume, has said that any attempt to zone the All Progressives Congress’s (APC) presidential ticket to the north would be tantamount to a third term after President Muhammadu Buhari’s second term in office.

While addressing journalists at a roundtable organised by the Correspondents’ Chapel, Nigerian Union of Journalists, FCT Council, on Saturday, the lawmaker representing Borno South in the Senate, said it would be against the party’s constitution for the north to produce the next presidential candidate.

Senator Ndume said in the spirit of fairness, justice and equity, any part of the country’s south should produce the next presidential candidate for the APC.

He said: “I’m against APC producing its presidential candidate from the north. The APC presidential candidate should come from the south. I have said it before and will still say it again that if we have a northerner as APC presidential candidate, to me, it is tantamount to third-term and it is not constitutional.

“The (APC) constitution says the president shall serve two terms and we said then that the north should serve two terms. If you say the North should produce the presidential candidate again, it means you are going for third-term, which is not fair and I believe in fairness, justice and equality.

Let candidate from the south, and that means, south-south, southeast and south-west, clinch the ticket. For the south-east, let me say, for example, you want to be the head of this house and you are calling for the division of the house, will it work?

“And I think the southeast needs to think about it. That is what is creating the rumour for the northerners to even say they want to be the president again. If you want to be president of Nigeria, you must believe in the unity of Nigeria. I support the candidate to come anywhere from the south.”

On the ravaging insecurity, Senator Ndume lamented that troops at war front are ill-equipped to tackle the challenges, and stressed the need for the federal government to ensure that the armed forces have what it takes to fight insecurity, which included the security agencies being well funded.

Also, the lawmaker agreed that there was nothing wrong with the Federal Government hiring mercenaries and Special Forces from foreign countries to help combat insecurity.

“I don’t see what is wrong in asking for help when you are overwhelmed,” he added.