Despite the clamour among the political class for the zoning of the presidency to the south, top politicians within the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, have in total defiance expressed interest in running for the top position regardless of what part of the region they come from.
Among those who have shown sufficient interest to vie for the highest position in the land are: Former Senate President and Secretary to the Federal Government, Anyim Pius Anyim, Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Former Senate President Bukola Saraki and former Speaker Aminu Tambuwal
As the issue of zoning continues to elicit heated discussions across party lines and various stakeholders ahead of the 2023 elections, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) recently waded into the matter.
The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, during a live interview on AriseTV, hinted at the party opening the floor for any member interested in contesting any position, rather than zoning offices to certain areas.
In the interview, Ologunagba said that it would be ‘an all-comers affair’ within the party adding, “In line with the right of every Nigerians, anyone who is interested may pick up the forms to seek for any elective positions.
“The party is also consistent with its ability to reconcile its differences and you can see that play out during the recent conventions. The major stakeholders due to their interest in unity arrived at a consensus which was why our convention was successful.
“We recognize contesting interests within the party but we want to be a melting point for Nigerians, which is why there are guidelines to everything the PDP does.”
Furthermore, the PDP scribe confirmed the institution of a 37-member committee tasked with analyzing the nuances inherent regarding the issue of zoning.
The committee is expected to report to the National Executive Council of the party after its brainstorming.
“A 37-member committee was inaugurated to look into the issue of zoning; they have the wherewithal to look at the pulse of the nation while reverting back to the NEC on the issue of zoning.
“It will be premature to preempt the committe which is why we gave them free hands while the NEC will take a decision in line with our constitution, the country and the party’s interests,” Ologunagba said.
Regarding the agitation for gender equity as agitated by various women groups, he said, “By virtue of the pressure that the PDP caucus has placed on the National Assembly, some of the Bills have been rescinded.
The party also showed its support for the agitations by the women to get more involved in politics adding that as a result the party has deliberately allowed women to obtain forms for free as a way of encouraging them.
Two weeks ago, various women groups occupied the gate of the National Assembly in protest against the rejection of women-related bills at plenary.
The groups demanded that the Federal lawmakers take another look at the requests for 111 seats for women, citizenship, 35% representation in party leadership, more appointive positions in government, and vote in favour of these amendments.
The groups gathered for the protest include the United Nations Population Fund (UNPF), Federation of Muslim Women Association (FOMWA), Women Organisation for Change in Agriculture and Natural Resource Management (WOCAN), Association of Women in the Arts (AWITA), Women In Business (WIMBIZ), Action Aid, Yiaga Africa, the Islamic Youth League, among others.
Meanwhile,
Doyin Okupe, a former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, says the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will cease to exist if refuses to zone its presidential ticket.
Okupe said this in a series of tweets on Friday.
As the country prepares for the 2023 elections, there have been speculations on if parties will zone their presidential tickets to the southern region since the current president is from the north.
The PDP had recently released its schedule of activities for the 2023 elections, but the party is yet to decide on zoning.
According to Okupe, since parties don’t select candidates from the same religion for their presidential and vice-presidential tickets, it would be wrong for a northerner to take over power from President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023.
“Perfidy is the word. Dishonesty, injustice and insensitivity are the hallmarks of the current attitude of the PDP towards its own established policy of fairness and its celebrated mantra for equity and justice in the sharing of political offices through zoning between the north and the south of the country,” he wrote.
“This zoning policy had guaranteed stability and entrenched sense of belonging and equity within our polity.
“The efficacy of the zoning principle is so self evident that even rival political parties have adopted it as a political tool to ensure fairness and justice among their own membership.
“For the avoidance of doubt, if Muslim/Muslim or Christian/Christian presidential tickets will not work in Nigeria, so will a northern president from any party, following an uninterrupted 8-year rule by the current president, not work in 2023.
“But if the PDP, based on any presumptive consideration, chooses the perilous and clearly unjust and inequitable path of throwing the presidential ticket at its primaries open to all zones, then the PDP will finally, through an unforced error, have activated a self-destruct political app and would have commenced an irreversible journey to perdition.”