2023: Will PDP still field Atiku after zoning national chairman to north?
The presidential ambition of the former vice president Atiku Abubakar might have hit the rock following the decision of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to zone its national chairman's office to the north ahead of the 2023 general election.
PAY ATTENTION: Click “See First” under the “Following” tab to see Legit.ng News on your Facebook News Feed!
The national convention zoning committee of the party led by the Enugu state governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, announced its decision to zone the post to the north in Abuja on Thursday, September 30.
Source: Twitter
There have been agitations for the power shift from the north to the south after the expiration of President Muhammadu Muhari's administration in 2023, but the governors from the north including the PDP governors held a meeting recently in Kaduna where they described zoning arrangement as illegal and unconstitutional.
It has been the tradition since 1999 that any zone that produces the national chairman of the party cannot produce the presidential candidate of such a party.
Atiku, the PDP presidential candidate during the 2019 general election, was said to be eyeing the ticket of the party in 2023, as he recently visited some bigwigs of the party in preparation for the realisation of his political ambition.
PAY ATTENTION: Join Legit.ng Telegram channel! Never miss important updates!
The decision of the PDP zoning committee to give the north an opportunity to produce the next national chairman of the party has foreclosed chances of any presidential aspirant from the zone.
Although, the party has not announced its decision on presidency, vice presidency or other executive and legislative positions, it is evident that the presidential candidate may emerge from the south as the committee swapped party position between the north and the south
The committee had recommended the swapping of party leadership positions between the north and the south, saying that all positions currently being occupied by northern party members would go south; and those in the south will go to northerners.
Governor Ugwuanyi said:
“The national zoning committee of the PDP was given the mandate to zone national offices to be contested by all PDP members at the PDP national convention scheduled for October 30/31 2021 by the National Executive Committee.
“That the mandate of the committee does not include zoning of the offices of the president, vice president and other executive and legislative offices of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. And the decision of the committee to zone the party offices does not in any way affect the executive and legislative offices in Nigeria.
“That zoning of offices in PDP has traditionally been between the north and south of Nigeria. The decision of the PDP zoning committee is in line with the constitution of the party on zoning and rotation of party and national offices in the interest of justice, equity and fairness."
It, however, remains unclear whether or not Atiku would dump the PDP if the party eventually zone its presidential ticket to the zone.
PDP finally zones its national chairmanship position to the north
Meanwhile, Legit.ng had previously reported that ahead of the PDP national convention for the election of new members, the party has zoned the national chairmanship position to the north.
It was reported that Governor Ugwuanyi who doubles as the chairman of the zoning committee announced this in Abuja on Thursday, September 30.
He stated that nine governors were said to have voted in favour of the position of chairman going to the south against three that backed the north.
Source: Legit.ng
