PDP jettisons zoning, throws open contest for presidential ticket

• Zoning committee cites exigency of time, to forward resolution to NEC
• Supporters of Atiku, Saraki, Tambuwal excited about outcome
• We’re ready to subject individual interests to consensus, Tambuwal, Muhammed, Saraki reiterate
• Igbo Elders lambast opponents of zoning, insist region should produce next president

Despite the resolution of the Southern Governors’ Forum last year, known as the Asaba Declaration, that the region should produce Nigeria’s next president and repeated calls by leaders of thought in the Southeast, making a case for the region, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) committee on zoning, yesterday, recommended that the contest for the party’s presidential ticket be thrown open to aspirants from any part of the country. 

At its final meeting, which lasted for four hours in Abuja, the 37-member committee, led by Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom, however, said it would not make its decision known to the public.

It said it can only report its decision to the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party for it to in turn inform Nigerians of their decision. The party is yet to fix a date for the NEC meeting.  

But a leaked document showed that the committee recommended as follows: (1) Zoning, as in our party’s constitution, is affirmed; (2) Inspite of (1) above, ticket is thrown open, this time around due to exigency of time; (3) Our party is encouraged to always make the issue of zoning very clear at least six months before sales of forms; (4) Our party should commend the efforts of some of our contestants on the issue of consensus candidacy; the efforts should be seen to a peaceful and logical conclusion.

According to sources who were at the meeting, the decision to throw the contest open was taken to comply with the principles of fairness and justice.  

“Many members of the committee were of the view that because the party had already sold nomination forms to presidential aspirants across all zones, it is completely unfair to turn round to zone many of them out of the contest,” a source told The Guardian.

Other members who argued in favour of throwing it open drew attention to the voting pattern in the 2019 presidential election as published by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), adding that places that recorded higher votes, especially for the party, should not be ignored. 

Immediately the meeting was concluded at the Benue State governor’s lodge, some party leaders loyal to some aspirants, particularly those in support of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki and Sokoto State governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal were seen in high spirit.  

It was also learnt that the committee resolved that zoning of the other offices should be allowed to flow from the zone that produces the President after the election. 

When leaders of the panel were ready to brief journalists at the end of the meeting, it took some time for the governor of Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, to join them at the media conference. His face was not as bright as the faces of former Jigawa governor, Sule Lamido and former Senate leader, Abdul Ningi. 

Ortom told journalists: “We have just finished our meeting and by the grace of God, we have unanimously adopted a position that will be sent to the NEC of our party that appointed us.

“The good news for the teaming supporters of PDP and Nigerians is that we have resolved and everyone, the 37 members, unanimously adopted the position that we are going to present to NEC.” 

Meanwhile, a member of the committee and former Ekiti State governor, Ayo Fayose, announced the withdrawal of his membership from the committee. He said his resignation was informed by his decision to contest the 2023 presidential election.  

His letter of withdrawal, which was dated April 5, 2022 and addressed to Ortom, reads in part: “I write to formally appreciate the party and all members of this committee. I thank you all for your statesmanship, selflessness and sense of patriotism to our party and by extension our nation in the way you have all handled and comported yourselves so far in deliberations regarding this delicate and sensitive issue/assignment, the zoning of public offices, particularly that of the President.

“I pray the outcome will bring understanding, peace and stability to our party and our country at large. Having hinted during our last meeting of my intention to run for the office of the President in the coming primary election and by God’s grace, the general election, it will not be morally right to continue to participate in the zoning debate, being an aspirant myself.

“Therefore, my state has nominated the bearer of this letter, Dr Gbenga Faseluka, to replace me. I thank you all and wish you happy deliberation.”

MEANWHILE, Tambuwal, Saraki and Governor Bala Muhammed of Bauchi State, yesterday, expressed their willingness to subject their individual interests for consensus to rescue the country from the jaws of insecurity and hardship. They stated this while speaking with journalists after a closed-door meeting with Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State at the Government House, Ibadan.

Saraki, who spoke on behalf of the team, said the purpose of the visit was to seek blessings, carry Makinde along and address some concerns in the party. He said they were ready to subject themselves to a consensus arrangement and support any candidate that emerged from the process.

“We have looked at the country today. People are going through hardship and there is the issue of insecurity. It is clear that only our party, PDP, can provide that brighter future for this country. But in doing that, we, as a party must be ready for government in 2023 by uniting ourselves and being focused. It is not about our individual interests. It is the interest of Nigeria that matters.

“That consensus arrangement is mainly for the PDP as a party, because even if one person wins the ticket, he cannot address, fix and rebuild this country by himself. He needs the support of everybody. We want that foundation to start from that process. That is why we are here,” he said.

Responding, Makinde expressed his support for the arrangement. The governor said: “It is about the consensus arrangement we are trying to put together. We have done it at the last convention of our party. It was the first time the PDP was able to achieve that. So, we believe we can do it. We also believe that Nigeria will take this party serious when they know that we are working together to give them a president through a process that has everybody’s buy-in.”

BUT the Igbo Elders Consultative Forum, on Tuesday, described politicians kicking against the zoning of the presidency to the Southeast as “lacking in conscience and should not be trusted.”

They said it was ridiculous and hypocritical of the politicians who sought for power shift to the North in 2015 to then turn around to demonise zoning ahead of next year’s general elections.

Chairman of the forum, Chief Chukwuemeka Ezeife, stated this in Abuja when Igbo leaders of thought and traditional rulers paid him a condolence visit over the demise of his wife, Njideka, whose burial is slated for April 20.

Ezeife, who is a former governor of Anambra State, insisted that an Igbo man must succeed President Muhammadu Buhari.
He said: “Everything (in the country) is a comprehensive failure, including our leadership and the politicians. The political parties are not serious about zoning and power rotation, because their conscience is dead; justice, equity and fairness are farfetched. This is what is wrong with us.

“God knows it and has decreed that the next president of Nigeria will come from Igboland. The problem now is how to allow God’s destiny to manifest for Nigeria.”

Ezeife also said the socio-economic situation in Nigeria had been worsened by the failure to successfully tackle corruption in the country, which, according to him, would have placed the nation on the path of progress.

Earlier, the Secretary of Ime-Obi Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Prof. Charles Nwekeaku, lauded the contributions of the Ezeife family to the restoration of democracy in the country.

He said the ex-governor and his late wife risked their lives when they joined forces with other compatriots in the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) to chase out the military and pursue the restoration of late Moshood Abiola’s presidential mandate after the 1993 elections.