With the conclusion of screening process of its presidential aspirants, the country main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is now set to make a big decision on the zone where its flagbearer for the forthcoming 2023 presidential election will emerge.
It was gathered that the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the PDP, is set to sit and deliberate on the zoning issue after receiving the report from the 37-man zoning committee chaired by Benue state governor, Samuel Ortom.
Recall that though the zoning committee had adopted an open ticket in its report, the call for a southern Presidency in 2023 has continued to polarise the party as well as the country in general with many arguing it would be wrong for another northerner to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari whose second term ends on May 29, 2023.
With the non-stop clamour for the presidency to be zoned to the South, the main opposition party is set to make a final decision on Wednesday.
The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Debo Ologunagba, disclosed this, according to a report by the Punch.
Ologunagba said the NEC would review the report of the committee set up on the issue.
“The NEC meeting will look at it and take a final decision,” he was quoted to have said.
The national publicity Secretary also confirmed that the party has adopted Abuja as the venue to hold its presidential primary election, scheduled for May 29.
“We have decided to hold the convention, where our candidate will emerge, in Abuja. That was where the National Working Committee chose, but the National Executive Committee will ratify it at our meeting on Wednesday,” Ologunagba added.
A total of 15 presidential aspirants will go into the primary to battle for the PDP’s ticket. 17 indiviuals declared for presidency under the platform of PDP but two of them were dropped after their screening in Abuja on Friday.
Though the party is yet to reveal the identities of those cleared and disqualified from the race, former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar; former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi; former governor of Kwara State, Bukola Saraki, have took to their respective social media accounts to revealed that they passed the screening exercise.
