PDP Northern Group Tells Party To Zone Presidential Ticket To North Or Lose 2023 Election

The contestation for the presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, took another turn on Wednesday as a northern group within the party called Justice and Equity Group warned the party to zone its presidential ticket to the north or risk losing the election.

The group said scheming out the north from the party’s ticket will lead to the PDP’s defeat even as it argued that it will betray the interest of fairness and justice.

This is clearly against agitation in the Southern part of Nigeria that major political parties must zone their presidential tickets to the South.

This has prompted several aspirants announcing their interest to contest the election on the two major political parties.

Northern aspirants have also been advised to shelve their ambition. Infact, one of Atiku’s high profile aides who served as a spokesperson of Atiku Abubakar presidential campaign during the 2019 presidential election, Mr Kassim Afegbua, advised the former vice president to drop his desire to run again.

The former Commissioner for Information in Edo State called Atiku ‘Methuselah’, and advise that he should anoint a young southern candidate rather than always contesting as if it is his birth right.

Notwithstanding, the PDP group argued that, “A blanket ban on any region from contesting for presidency under PDP is manifestly and patently unreasonable, unjust, unfair and contrary to natural justice. It is wrong and will not fly in a democracy.”

Led by the former Deputy Majority Whip of the House of Representatives, Mr Ahmed Muktar, as Chairman, JEG in a statement in Abuja warned that it would be in the party’s interest to abide by the earlier decision of its National Executive Committee which threw open the presidential ticket of PDP to all zones.

According to him, the best candidate who could win the presidential election for the PDP and “change the terrible mess which the ruling All Progressives Congress has turned Nigeria into” should be allowed to emerge from any zone in the country.

However, the JEG maintained that it was undemocratic to ask a qualified Nigerian not to contest for presidency because he comes from a part of the country.

On Atiku, the group said, “While it is undemocratic to ask a qualified Nigerian not to contest for presidency, we agree substantially that Atiku Abubakar has had his time and opportunities.

“He (Atiku) was presented in 2018/2019 as the only one with the capacity, the financial muscle and experience to beat President Buhari. He fluffed the chance given to him by PDP. Age is also not on his side in 2023.

“Nigerians have become weary of his perpetual candidature. It may be time for him to give a younger person a chance.”

Atiku’s eligibility to contest election in Nigeria is a subject in court. His citizenship has been under intense scrutiny, with accusation that he was born in former Cameroonian part of Nigeria and thus does not qualify to stand for election.

The case before a Federal High Court in Abuja is yet to be determined.