2023: PDP northerners presidential aspirants meet in Abuja, to pick a consensus against Southern aspirants

Ilesanmi AdekanbiMarch 29, 2022

3 minutes read

Ahead of the 2023 presidential election in Nigeria, the Northerners’ Presidential aspirants of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Monday met in Abuja for discussing to find a consensus candidate among them

The meeting which held at the residence of the presidential candidate of the PDP in the 2019 general election and former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar.

Those in attendance include former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal and Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed.

Atiku while speaking after the meeting disclosed that they discussed the future of PDP and Nigeria.

The former Vice President in a post on his Facebook account wrote, “I had a meeting tonight with Saraki, Tambuwal, Bala and Hayatudden to discuss the future of our party and Nigeria. I look forward to continuing our dialogue and building #OneNigeria.”

Saraki also took to his Twitter account to share the aim of the meeting.

He wrote, “We visited former Vice President Alhaji @Atiku Abubakar to consult with him on our ongoing discussions about consensus building in our great party, @OfficialPDPNig”

Despite consultation by PDP presidential aspirants in the North, the likes of Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike and former Senate President, Anyim Pius Anyim have called for power to be zoned to the South ahead of the 2023 general elections.

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Meanwhile, Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, on Monday, said Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential aspirants of northern extraction are violating the party’s principle of zoning and rotation of power by throwing their hats in the ring for the 2023 election despite the gentleman’s agreement subsisting in the party.

Wike spoke as a guest on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ programme monitored by Newsflash Nigeria.

Politicians and members of the PDP who have declared interest in the 2023 Presidency include ex-Vice President Atiku Abubukar; ex-Senate President, Bukola Saraki; Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal; and Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed.

Wike, who recently declared his presidential ambition for the 2023 election, also said he stopped supporting Tambuwal’s ambition because the PDP agreed to zone its 2023 presidential ticket to the Southern part of the country.

Wike said, “Tambuwal is still my very good friend. In 2019, I supported Aminu Tambuwal because we zoned to the north. In 2017, all of us agreed that this should be zoned to the north and that was why nobody from the south collected forms for that election and I have no regret. What I do not like is for people to deny that there is no zoning or there should be no zoning. That is what I do not like.

“The provision of our constitution is clear under Section 7, Sub-section 3C, says there should be a rotation of party offices and elective offices. The founding fathers of the party know the complexity, they know the diversity of this country and they made sure that for equity, fairness and justice, this should be done.”

Wike said his decision to contest was, however, not based on the fact that the PDP wants to zone the ticket to the South but because he has what it takes to govern the country.

“In our party, we have always done zoning, so you cannot stop zoning,” the governor insisted.

Asked whether the zoning principle of the party implies that Atiku, Tambuwal, Saraki and Mohammed should not think about getting the PDP’s presidential ticket in 2023, Wike said, “There is nothing that can make me because of power violate simple agreement whether it is written or unwritten, that makes you a gentleman.

“Just like I am today, if the party says it is zoning it (ticket) to the north, I will not run; I will obey the party but what I don’t agree with is for people to say that there shouldn’t be zoning.”