2023: Atiku’s govt will consider S’East for topmost positions, says PCC DG

The Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) has given further insight into the kind of administration the standard bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, would run if sworn in as President on May 29.

Director General of the PCC in Anambra State, Prof. Obiora Okonkwo, said the PDP candidate would run a government of national unity, explaining that the six chief governance positions, including President of the Senate, Speaker, House of Representatives, Deputy Senate President, Deputy Speaker, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), service chiefs and others will be shared among the geopolitical zones.

Atiku had, during his engagement with the Nigeria Guild of Editors (NGE), November, last year, hinted that his priority would be to engender national cohesion and peaceful coexistence among the different ethnic nationalities of Nigeria.

The candidate had said: “PDP will form a government of national unity. In 1999, we had two presidential candidates from the south, and the PDP won resoundingly well. But we had a government of national unity.

“We had APP, AD ministers, and the country became one. This provided the peace and stability that we want. This is what I intend to do. PDP will set up a government of national unity. It is one of the ways to unite this country. Every section or geo-political zone will be carried along in appointments into every sector. We will unify this country.”

Okonkwo noted that there is much tension in the country because PDP’s achievements in the area of Nigeria’s unity had been squandered by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) with its government of exclusion.

He said the entire South East geopolitical zone had been clearly excluded from government since the APC government came into office in 2015, stressing that the zone does not occupy any of the six topmost positions in government.

Okonkwo said the former Vice President has given assurance that ‘Category A’ ministerial and extra-ministerial positions would be evenly distributed to the zones.

The DG, who noted that this was the case under the PDP for 16 years, pointed out that it would lead to inclusion of people of the South East in governance, unlike the current situation.

He appealed to the zone to support Atiku in the February 25 poll, saying it is important for the region to be part of baking the cake in order to participate when it is shared.

He said: “People should recall that under the past PDP government, it was like that. During Obasanjo, it was Senate President for South East, during Yar’Adua, it was Deputy Senate President, and during Jonathan, it was SGF before Buhari came and everything changed.

“Anyim was the last SGF before Buhari came in. All those things will come back. So, a PDP government under Atiku will guarantee all that. And then the South East will still get key ministries in the PDP government. I am talking as the DG of the campaign in Anambra, the good old days will return.”