Zoning: PDP still in dilemma

For Nigeria’s main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, it was a classic case of putting the cart before the horse. While the party claims it has not decided which part of the country it will zone its presidential ticket, the party at the end of consultations and meetings of its national caucus, Board of Trustees (BoT), and National Executive Committee (NEC) meetings last week announced the commencement of sale of Expression of Interest and Nomination forms for the presidential aspirants commencing from March 17.

But it also announced that it has set up a 37-man committee to discuss issues related to the zoning of its presidential ticket and report back in two weeks.

The party had set up the zoning committee following disagreements from members of the party from the North and Southern part of the country on where the party’s 2023 presidential ticket should be zoned at the BoT and the caucus and NEC meetings.

While members of the party from the South had argued for the zoning of the presidential ticket to the South, their counterparts from the North ask the party to give each of its members from all parts of the country the opportunity of contesting for it.

The Southern PDP governors were reportedly forceful in making demands for the zoning of the ticket to their side of the country in tune with the mood of the nation.

However, their counterparts from the North countered with the claim that PDP’s presidential ticket was in the South for the 14 of the 16 years the party was in power before it was voted out in 2015.

As a way out, the NEC of the party agreed to set up the 37-man committee to look into the zoning issue in detail. In the same vein, the party also proposed May 28 and 29 for its presidential primaries, with the presidential nomination form costing N35 million, and the sale of forms for all positions starting on March 17.

“On zoning, NEC also approved the establishment of a 37-member Zoning Committee to make recommendations for the zoning of the various elective positions for the 2023 general election,” National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Debo Ologunagba said in a statement released after the NEC meeting. Members of the zoning committee are to select their chairman.

But whatever the committee will come up with may not just matter.

With the release of the timetable for the primaries and commencement of the sale of forms before the conclusion of the work of the zoning committee, PDP had inadvertently or deliberately thrown the contest for its presidential ticket open to all parts of the country as some members of the party, especially those from the Northern part of the country have argued.

Also, former President Atiku Abubakar from Adamawa North East became the first aspirant to buy the form to get the party’s presidential ticket last week.

Atiku as was learnt by The Nigerian Xpress will formally declare his presidential ambition this Wednesday following the procurement of the party’s expression of interest and nomination forms for him by a group that described itself as Northeast Business Forum last Thursday.

The group, led by one Abubakar Funakaye presented the forms to Atiku who was also the 2019 presidential candidate of the party at his Asokoro Abuja residence. “We promised that if he agrees to contest the election, we will purchase his nomination form. This is what we have done today,” Funakaye said.

Speaking after he received the forms, the former vice president said all hands should be on deck to rescue Nigeria from the brink of collapse. And in a subtle dig at those calling for the zoning of the presidency to the South, Atiku said he does not believe in the existence of ethnic, religious or other differences to discriminate against citizens. “What is before us, is not an easy job. Therefore, I will like to call for the unity of this country. Whether I become president or not, differences based on ethnicity or religion is not in my household,” said Atiku.

“Northeast is the most backward in the country but that does not give us the entitlement to rule this country. It should motivate us,” he added.

In the same vein, Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal last week met all the 36 states chairmen of the party, as well as that of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to brief them on his presidential ambition.

This newspaper also learnt that former Senate President Bukola Saraki is also getting ready to gear up activities towards his bid for the PDP’s 2023 presidential ticket.

Also, Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State has been campaigning for the presidential ticket for weeks.

In the South where the PDP has eight out of its 13 governors, those who had indicated an interest in bidding for the presidential ticket of the party include former Senate President Pius Anyim, Dele Momodu and Elder Sam Ohuanbuwa.

There were also speculations that some of the governors of the party, including Governors Udom Emmanuel and Nyesom Wike, may contest for the presidential ticket.

Wike has especially been critical of the presidential ambition of Northern aspirants while insisting that the PDP has not decided on where it would zone its 2023 presidential ticket.

The Rivers State governor believed to be the party’s major financier had in the past thrown subtle jabs at Atiku and members of the party from the North who have already declared their intention to run for the presidency in 2023.

In the same vein, he had also dismissed speculations that he would run for the presidency alongside Atiku or any other presidential candidate from the Northern part of the country.

He had also said members of the party from the South would meet at the appropriate time to determine where to zone the presidential ticket.

Wike recently boasted that he could defeat all the candidates if he decided to run for the 2023 presidency.

But for him, time seems to be running out if he is interested in the presidency or influencing the zoning of the presidential ticket.

Analysts said the decision of the party to set up the zoning committee may just be a way of buying time as the party may have decided to throw the ticket open to all parts of the country.