As the 2023 general elections beacon, the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has revealed that the party is working hard to put things right, starting with the zoning of its presidential ticket.
The Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr Ibrahim Abdullahi said this while receiving members of the Northern Advocates for Good Governance (NAFGG), an umbrella pressure group of the 19 states, who are pushing for the zoning of the party’s 2023 presidential ticket to the North.
Abdullahi, who received members of the group on behalf of the National Chairman of the party, Dr Iyorchia Ayu, said that the party has learned sufficient lessons in time past over zoning of Presidential tickets and now are trying to do something differently.
His words, “So, PDP has learned sufficient lessons in the time past and we are trying to do something in different form.
“The pains and suffering of Nigerians, these are things the national leadership of the party is doing to put things right”, he said.
He emphasized that the PDP believes firmly in the principle of equity and fairness.
While presenting the group’s letter to the representative of the National Chairman, Mallam Mahmoud Mohammed Katun. National Coordinator, Northern Advocates for Good Governance said they will vehemently kick against “the illogical pressure being mounted by some interest groups and self-serving politicians, who are insisting that the presidency of Nigeria in 2023 must be zoned to the Southern part of the country”.
The group added, “for the avoidance of doubt, nobody has the right to exclude any segment of this country from aspiring for the highest office in the land, especially segments of the North that have never had the opportunity of occupying the prime position.
“From 1999 to 2023, the South would have ruled Nigeria for 14 years, while the North, for 10 years.
“Why should we then prioritize the South to take over when the North has a shortfall?
“Giving priority to zones in the North that haven’t had the opportunity should be done to guarantee equity, fairness and justice.
“But even more importantly, it is our considered position that political parties should prioritize experience, competence and capacity in choosing or zoning their presidential tickets”, the group said
