Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia, & Ike Nnachi, Abakaliki
The alleged decision of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to throw its 2023 presidential ticket open to all aspirants from every geopolitical zone has triggered angry reactions and condemnation in the South-East.
PDP’s 37-member zoning committee headed by Gov. Samuel Ortom, Wednesday, concluded its assignment, and reportedly recommended that the party should allow all aspirants from every zone to contest unlike in 2019 when the party zoned its presidential ticket to the North.
Although Gov. Ortom later denied that his committee recommended that the party’s presidential ticket be thrown open, claiming that he was quoted out of context, many people including PDP chieftains from the South-East are already spoiling for war with the opposition party.
Speaking with Ikengaonline, one of PDP’s leading presidential aspirants from the South-East, Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, reminded the main opposition party of the grave implications of the decision.
The former President, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigerian, PSN, said that the National Executive Council of the party would still have to review the report of the committee and properly weigh the options before finally taking action on it.
Ohuabunwa urged the national leadership of PDP to take into accounts the possible fallouts of the recommendation and be properly guided in its final decision on the sensitive matter to avoid playing into the hands of the ruling party.
His said: ” I believe that the leadership of our great party understands the implications of that. PDP is not a one-man party. If in the wisdom of NEC of the party, they think it’s the right thing to do, then they should prepare for the reactions.”
Ohuabunwa who said he had expected PDP to still uphold zoning as contained in the party’s constitution, however, expressed optimism that the recommendation would not have any adverse affect on his chances at the party’s primaries.
“I’m determined to run for the presidential ticket. I’m hopeful I will win. I have all it takes to fix Nigeria, and I’m prepared”, Ohuabunwa thundered.
Commenting on the matter, the immediate past Secretary to State Government, SSG, Abia State, Dr Eme Okoro, expressed furry and disappointment over the alleged decision which he doubts its authenticity.
He said PDP would be unfair to the South particularly the South-East if the party decided to throw its presidential ticket open after ceding same position exclusively to the North in 2019.
The former SSG who was one of the founding members of PDP wondered why the party would decide to “change the goal post in the middle of the game.”
He said that PDP should maintain zoning as contained in the party’s constitution, warning against any conspiracy to scheme the South-East out of the power equilibrium of the country.
The former SSG accused Nigeria of being unfair to the Igbo despite their sacrifices and immense contributions towards nation building.
He urged other zones to give the South-East a sense of belonging by allowing the zone to produce President Muhammadu Buhari’s successor in 2023 as the zone has not tasted power since the return of democracy in 1999.
Dr. Okoro who blamed the growing agitations for self determination in parts of the country on injustice, said Nigeria should be prepared to let the Igbo exit peaceful and be on their own if the country could not integrate the people.
He insisted that zoning should be sustained due to Nigeria’s peculiar circumstances until the country attained certain political maturity and stability.
“Zoning will remain the Grundnorm for the survival PDP. Power should be allowed to go to the South and the right people which is South-East.
“South-East should be given the opportunity to produce the person who will weld Nigeria together and move the country forward.
“But if they can’t tolerate us, then they should allow us to go. Are we slaves? There should be equity and fairness in this country.
“It’s a pity that the Nigeria debacle does not recognize honestly and integrity. Right from the beginning, the Igbo have been unfairly treated in Nigeria.
“If zoning is sacrosanct in the PDP constitution, it then means that the original formula of power rotation between North and South should be maintained. Zoning should be maintained by our party. Zoning is still important to Nigerian politics.
“If we are fair enough; if we are talking of justice and equity, it is only natural that power should come to South and tilt to the South-East in 2023.
” If Nigeria will still be a country it has to be negotiated on the basis of equity and justice.”
The former SSG, however, regretted that South-East Governors had “negotiated power away” because of their selfish interests.
“It’s very annoying that our Governors have already negotiated it away. Those who don’t deserve any right to lead us are already negotiating the thing away”, he boiled.
Igbo youths under the aegis of Coalition of South-East Youth Leaders, COSEYL, have also voiced their disappointment over the decision, saying that PDP had shot itself in the leg.
The youths vowed to mobilise Ndigbo home and abroad against the PDP in 2023, should the party deny the South-East its presidential ticket in 2023.
COSEYL in a release by its President General, Goodluck Ibem, said the decision amounted to changing the goal post in the middle of the game.
The youth coalition regretted that despite the numerous efforts of PDP members from the South-East to sustain the party even when other zones almost deserted the party, the party was paying back the zone with the wrong coin.
“This decision by the party is a calculated attempt to throw to the wind the long years of loyalty of the people of South-East who have only voted and worked tirelessly for the electoral successes and progress of the party since its inception in 1998. Ndigbo have been great supporters of the PDP.
“We want to bring it to knowledge of the PDP that, if the fail to zone the PDP Presidential ticket to South-East which is the only geopolitical zone that has not produced a Nigerian President, the party is bound to fail woefully in the zone.
“Before now, the party has promised to pacify the zone with the Presidential ticket for her long years of loyalty and dedication to the party, but this sudden change by the party to do the opposite of what was promised before now will be totally resisted by Ndigbo.
“As the power-house of Igbo youths saddled with the responsibility of defending the political interest of Ndigbo, we are putting the PDP on notice that if the fail to zone the PDP ticket to South-East come 2023 Presidential elections, no Igbo man living anywhere in Nigeria will vote PDP.
“We call on all Igbos in Nigeria to ensure that the have their Permanent Voters Card, PVC, and wait for our signal to know which party to vote for in the presidential election. Ndigbo cannot be taken for granted by anyone again. It is our turn to produce the Nigerian President of South-East extraction come 2023.
In a reaction, a PDP chieftain in Ebonyi State, Chief George Umeh, described the decision of PDP to jettison zoning as unfair.
He said: “It is unfair for any political party- PDP, APC, XYZ to jettison zoning just because all arguments are now favouring Ndigbo.
“The PDP for example has zoning in its constitution. I strongly think the APC should also have same as they merely changed the name PDP to APC in all places in their own constitution. Every other thing is the same.
“Nigeria as a country, although may not have expressly mentioned the word zoning in her constitution, applies zoning principle in all she does. Hence, the unjustifiable devilish federal character arrangement which jettisons merit on the altar of ethno-religious or geopolitical considerations. It is the federal character stuff that has dragged us back to where we are today.
He wondered why the party would jettison zoning “now that it is the turn of Ndígbo to produce the next President.”
“Yesterday, the zoning committee of the PDP completed its work and announced that finally they are dropping zoning. The big question should be why drop zoning now?’
Similarly, Okello Peters, a Lagos-based Igbo man in his reaction said that the decision has shown how Ndigbo are never rated in this country.
“Zoning has been a thing in PDP for long. It got to Ndígbo’s turn everything changed.
“But the shocking part of this whole thing is that an Igbo person is always in the forefront of any campaign that tends to put aside Ndigbo in Nigerian political settings.”
