New Telegraph

2023: Don’t deny us presidency –South East party chairmen

Less than two years before the 2023 general elections, the debate on who succeeds President Muhammadu Buhari and by extension, which geographical zone produces same is raging.

 

The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stoked the current fire when a committee it set up in the aftermath of the 2019 general elections submitted its report recently.

Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State and Chairman of the Committee which reviewed the performance of the party and why it performed dismally in his recommendations, alleged that the party was rigged out and to do well in the next election, it should throw its ticket open for all members to contest and win the party’s nomination.

 

But the South Eastern Zone of the country which comprises Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo states, has cried foul and said that it is unfair, unjust, and against natural justice to change the rules in the middle of the game. Since the advent of the current dispensation in 1999, the zone and its people have been voting for PDP.

 

They argue that it is the zone that made it possible for its candidate, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, to win the election when the South- West, where he came from voted for Chief Olu Falae in the 1999 election. Since then, they have been voting for PDP.

Other persons who have won the party’s primaries either by consensus or outright contest included the Late Umar Musa Yar’ Adua, former President Goodluck Jonathan and Atiku Abubakar, who came from the North-West, South-South and North-East zones, respectively.

 

It is only the South-East that is yet to fly the party’s flag. In separate interviews with chairmen of both APC and PDP in the zone, as well as the Socio–political group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, they held that it was the time for the parties to follow zoning principle, which is based on gentleman agreement. They were unequivocal about this.

No one can jettison zoning now –Abia APC

 

To the Chairman, Abia State chapter of the APC, Hon Donatus Nwankpa, it is too late in the day to talk about throwing the contest open while the South-East is yet to take a shot at the presidency.

 

He said: “No one can talk of jettisoning zoning now that it is the turn of South-East to produce the President. The South-West, South-South and North- West have taken their turns at the presidency. No party, APC or PDP, has jettisoned zoning.

 

We rely on Section 14 for geographical balance.” Nwankpa explained further that the party in Abia State took a no zoning stance because it has not produced the governor before now. He argued that if the APC had produced the governor of the state, then zoning would have been adopted to give other sections a chance.

 

He insisted that the arrangement does not apply at the federal level because other zones have had their turn.

 

You can’t deny us, says Ebonyi PDP chairman

 

The Onyekachi Nwebonyiled State Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ebonyi State, did not mince words on the issue. He told the National leadership of the party to immediately rescind its decision that the 2023 presidential ticket of the party would be thrown open.

 

He noted that zoning is enshrined in the party’s constitution, which made the zones that produced President of the country to do so and wondered why it should be discarded by the party when it is the turn of the South East to taste the exalted position.

 

He said: “It is a known fact that it is the turn of South East to produce the next President of the country in line with the spirit of zoning in the PDP constitution but regrettably, it appears as if the National leadership of the party has jettisoned that zoning arrangement and I must tell them that this is very dangerous and very injurious, especially to the existence of PDP in South East.

 

“We are not happy about it as a chapter of the party in the South East and we are telling the national leadership of the party to address that issue before it gets out of hand because it is cancerous to the existence of PDP. You cannot observe zoning when it is the turn of other zones, then when it is the turn of South East; you now say it is thrown open. What a height of injustice?

 

Ebonyi APC: We deserve special concession

 

Nwenboyi’s counterpart in APC, Chief Stanley Okoro Emegha, wants special concession for the zone. To him, if Bayelsa, which has only eight local government areas had similar thing when former President Goodluck Jonathan contested on the platform of the party in 2011 and 2015, then the South-East deserved better.

 

Also, he said that said Igbo leaders were not resting on their oars to ensure power shifts to South- East in the 2023 elections. He said: “Igbo leaders of thought are not resting on their oars in their quest to ensure there is power shift to the South-East in the interest of justice and equity.

 

These stakeholders have channeled commendable efforts towards engaging other geopolitical zones in meaningful dialogue, aimed at galvanizing the forces of all political parties to nominate their presidential candidates from Igbo land.

 

“In fact, the time has come to give special concession to Ndigbo to produce the next President of Nigeria, come 2023, the same way an illustrious son of Yoruba extraction emerged as the President in 1999 through a consensus agreement of major power blocs to that effect”.

 

This is the same line towed by his Imo State brother, Daniel Nwafor, who is also not excited about the party’s position of not zoning the 2023 presidential ticket of the APC.

 

Nwafor submitted that if justice, equity and the promotion of mutual respect and the deepening of national integration of all regions was duly taken into cognizance, as they are urgently needed to stabilize this nation, then power sharing would have been made more equitable and every Nigerian given a sense of belonging.

 

 

He maintained that if anything can douse the mounting tension in the country, it is the careful and judicious sharing of power in the country.

 

“I wish to urge our party, the APC to consider the South-East Zone of the country when zoning the presidency. The South-East has in abundance, eminently qualified persons to run for the presidency of the country and deliver creditably on any mandate given to them,” he said.

APC, PDP yet to decide on zoning –APC, PDP Anambra chairmen

 

But the Anambra State Chairman of the PDP, Chief Ndubuisi Nwobu and his APC counterpart, Chief Basil Ejidike, were of the view that their political parties were yet to decide on the zoning arrangements and that they were more concerned with repackaging of the party structure first before talking about the 2023 Presidential primary elections.

 

Nwobu said that the party has not zoned the presidential ticket to any part of the country, contending that it was the recommendations of a committee on the last general election headed by Alhaji Bala Mohammed.

 

“The recommendations are subject to ratification by the National Working Committee, the National Executive Committee, the Board of Trustees and the PDP governor’s forum. “Anyone who tells you that the party has zoned its ticket to any part of the country is only being mischievous and should not be taken seriously.

Ndigbo are strong enough to win the ticket of the party and we have men and women that can make this work.”

 

Nwobu noted that the All Progressives Congress (APC) was yet to make a pronouncement on the zoning arrangements ahead of the 2023 general election, insisting that those considering joining the APC should read the political terrain before taking hasty actions.

 

Ejidike contended that the party is currently busy with the registration and revalidation of the party membership register, adding that an Elders’ Committee is being set up to harmonize the party in a bid to consolidating its hold and clear the grey areas before the election proper.

 

“For now, the issue of zoning the presidential ticket of our party is not top in our agenda and what we are doing is the revalidation and registration of our members, which are ongoing and as I speak with you, an Elders’ Committee is being set up by the party to look into the challenges before us, consolidate our strong holds and strengthen the grey areas of the party.

 

“We cannot be talking about zoning now because it is not in our agenda for now and it is after that we can begin to talk about zoning and we have not decided yet which of the geopolitical zones the ticket would go to and that will be a distraction for us as a party the moment.”

 

It’s  despicable, laments Ohanaeze

 

The Pan-Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, is pained about the fluidity of the situation .The group was unable to hold back in strong terms and words while expressing her deep pain and disappointment over the panel’s recommendations.

 

Ohanaeze, which apparently placed more premium on the opposition party, PDP than the ruling APC, with regard to the realization of the much desired Nigerian president of South East Igbo extraction, flayed the contemplation of the PDP. Understandably, Ohanaeze is not making much demand on the APC, since the zone has a long history of unflinching support to PDP since the beginning of current political dispensation in 1999.

 

Ohanaeze described the recommendation of the PDP Committee on the Review of the 2019 General Elections, headed by Mohammed, as “despicable”. In a statement issued in Enugu and signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Alex Ogbonnia, the apex Igbo group said the report was “un-reflective and unconscionable.”

 

“It is very worrisome that some highly placed Nigerians who have benefited so much from the unity of the country would be inclined to decisions and actions that will further inflame the passions of the patient but aggrieved part of the country.

 

“For the avoidance of doubt, Nigerians agreed on rotation of presidency between the North and the South; in which case it is the turn of the South after the expiration of President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure.

 

“For clarity purposes, both the South-West and the South-South had both taken their turns in the persons of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan respectively. It is rather very unpatriotic and a trifle on the sensibilities of the Igbo for the committee to even suggest the rotation of the presidency to the North- East in the first instance and open to every part of Nigeria as a major slight.

 

“It is disturbing that all the indignities, perceived and real, that the South-East suffers in the current dispensation are the outcome of the Igbo support to the PDP since 1999. It is on record that in 1999, the Igbo were in hock with the PDP through which Chief Olusegun Obasanjo emerged the President of Nigeria; same in 2003 and the subsequent elections in Nigeria.

 

“On the other hand, the Igbo had invested much political capital in the PDP only to be betrayed by its apparent lack in principles,” it said.

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