The former Governor of Jigawa State and chieftain of the main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Sule Lamido, has disclosed that the party presidential ticket can not be zoned to the south in the coming 2023 election.
Lamido who made this known on Tuesday during an interview with BBC Hausa service noted that it would not be possible because of the personal interest of some few individuals.
Lamido explained that it may not be a problem if the decision is meant to revive the acceptability and popularity of the party in the northern part of the country.
He said but if the decision is meant to zone the 2023 presidential candidate to the southern part of the country that would not be acceptable.
“What brings this issue is because the southern PDP and APC Governors agreed that president most comes from the Southern part of the country.
“There is no compulsion in politics everybody has equal rights and if you said you want your own, so everybody has his own as well.
“Therefore unity and progress of the country is the most important aspect not any part of the country.
“This happened 20 years back when PDP picked Obasanjo and prevented any candidate from North but it was done not by force is because it’s the solution to the country’s situation and for the future, progress and peaceful coexistence of the whole country,” Lamido stated.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governor’s had voted for the zoning of the party chairmanship to the North.
Following the move, party members are beginning to see it as an endorsement for the party to pick the party’s presidential candidate from Southern Nigeria.
The tradition of the party is to have the presidential candidate from a region different from where its national chairman comes from.
It was gathered that the Governors voted 9-3 in favour of the North at the meeting of the PDP governors held at Akwa Ibom governor’s residence on Wednesday in Abuja
It was also revealed that three northern governors, Bala Mohammed (Bauchi), Adamu Fintiri (Adamawa) and Darius Ishaku (Taraba) voted for the chairmanship to be zoned to the South.
Governor Samuel Ortom (Benue) is the only Governor from the North who voted for the chairmanship to be in the North.
The Governor of Sokoto state (North) and chairman of the PDP governors forum, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal did not vote as he presided over the meeting.
Tambuwal is believed to be eyeing the presidential ticket, having run unsuccessfully in the party primary in 2019.
Meanwhile, Bauchi State Governor, Mohammed Bala had announced his intention to run for president in 2023.
The other PDP governors who voted in favour of northern chairmanship are: Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Godwin Obaseki (Edo), Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Udom Emmanuel (Akwa Ibom), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), Ifeanyi Okowa (Delta), and Douye Diri (Bayelsa).
The meeting resolved to pass the resolution of the governors to the zoning committee of the national convention, currently scheduled to take place on October 30 and 31 in Abuja.
