2023: Zoning Tremors In PDP Spread To APC As Northern Emirs Demand Four More Years

The raging controversy over zoning of the 2023 presidential ticket in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP was at the weekend seeping into the All Progressives Congress, APC with the prospects of the two major political parties presenting northern presidential candidates in the 2023 General Election.

Besides the prospects of Northern presidential candidates emerging in the two parties, a silence of the graveyard was also hovering over the APC following unease over the takeover of the “progressive” party by former diehards of the PDP.

GreenWhiteGreen GWG reports that at the end of the APC convention, former prominent stalwarts of the PDP took the two crucial positions of national chairman and national secretary.

The new APC national chairman Senator Abdullahi Adamu served as two term governor of Nasarawa State while the new National Secretary, Senator Iyiola Omisore served two terms as a PDP senator from Osun State. Both men were also strong proponents of the third term agenda that was opposed by the principal founders of the APC.

President Muhammadu Buhari who anointed Adamu as national chairman has, however, been quick to dismiss the unease with his declaration that the new chairman is a “repentant sinner.”

PDP and Zoning

Sunday Vanguard reports that the PDP has lately been thrown into crisis following the raging debate on the merits or otherwise of zoning the presidential ticket.

The 36 man committee constituted by the party leadership is expected to submit its report on Tuesday. However, supporters of Atiku were at the weekend basking in joy following indications that the committee is inclined towards throwing away zoning for the presidential ticket.

The committee it was gathered has scheduled a final meeting on Tuesday before turning in its report.

“You cannot zone what you do not have. It is only when you have the presidency that you start zoning,” a strong loyalist of Atiku told Sunday Vanguard yesterday.

The inclinations of the Governor Sam Ortom led Zoning Committee according to insiders is towards throwing open the ticket to everyone.

The committee’s inclination it was gathered, was also not helped by the strategic move by Atiku to preempt the recommendation of the panel by making his declaration penultimate Wednesday.

Besides that, supporters of Atiku have also stoked the zoning debate by going on television with a documentary projecting the claim that the PDP stewardship of the presidency was biased in favour of the South with 13 of the 16 years in favour of the South.

The analysis which also inputs that southern presidents, namely President Goodluck Jonathan and President Olusegun Obasanjo had spent a total of 14 years as against the 10 plus years that would have been spent by the northern presidents, Buhari and Umaru Yar`adua.

That documentary according to a top political player has now been taken to the royal palaces in the North where the argument is now being put that the North has at least four more years to catch up with the North.

However, the hand of President Buhari has not been traced to the alleged campaign to produce a northern successor.

Reports that after the president and his minders were beaten by the governors in the battle for the top leadership positions of the APC, National Working Committee, NWC that the cabal may have gone to restrategise on how to gain the upper hand ahead of the forthcoming presidential nomination convention.

The trouncing of the Aso Rock cabal came after the president’s nominations for four of five top positions in the NWC viz; the national chairman, Deputy National Chairman, National Vice-Chairman, North-East, National Vice-Chairman Northwest and National Secretary were rejected by the governors.

Of the lot, only the president’s nomination of Adamu for National Chairman sailed through.

It was gathered that the president’s late arrival for the convention last Saturday arose from the misgiving of the cabal who had wanted the president to stay away after the governors rejected four of the nominees.

President Buhari was, however, said to have shaken away the appeal of the cabal not to grace the convention as he insisted on going albeit, arriving five hours after his scheduled arrival.

Once he arrived, some governors, notably Atiku Bagudu, Kebbi; Kayode Fayemi, Ekiti; Abaubakar Baduru, Jigawa and one other presented the consensus list signed by all 22 APC governors with only Adamu being the president’s nominee on the list.

As a source disclosed, the president asked the governors’ delegation if they were all agreed on the consensus list and one of the governors replied in the affirmative saying that all the governors endorsed the list.

Upon that the president was said to have given the go-ahead for the convention to go ahead, albeit almost six hours behind schedule.

The governors in tidying up the Consensus List were also said to have remembered the promise given to Victor Giadom from Rivers State as National Vice-Chairman following his yeo-man role in pushing their agenda in the June 2020 removal of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.

Giadom, a key ally of Rotimi Amaechi was instrumental in removing Oshiomhole as he as Acting National Chairman, summoned the meeting of the National Executive Committee, NEC in the presidential Villa that ratified the removal of Oshiomhole.

The victory of the APC governors at the convention it was gathered has now boosted their morale as they are now determined to produce the presidential candidate.

A member of the new national executive of the party speaking on the condition of anonymity said yesterday:

“The governors are determined that one of them will be Buhari’s successor. They have scaled the first hurdle with their victory at the convention. Who that person may be I cannot say, but the momentum is with them,” the executive officer said.

The APC official asked to respond to claims that the party would open up the ticket to all zones dismissed the claim saying that the issue of zoning the presidency to the South had been settled.

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