KOLA Ologbodiyan, National Publicity Secretary of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday said the party is yet to zone its flag bearer for 2023 presidential election to the South-East or any other region in the country.
This is coming barely nine days after David Umahi, the Ebonyi State Governor defected from the PDP to the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC).
Umahi had partly attributed his decision to PDP’s failure to recognise at least a candidate from the South-East who could contest for the presidency, especially in previous general elections.
He said the South-East has suffered injustice in the PDP.
“… I offered this movement as a protest to the injustice being done to the South-East by the PDP,” he stated.
“Since 1999, the South-East has supported the PDP. At a time, the five states were all PDP. One of the founding members of the PDP was from the South-East, the late former Vice President, Dr Alex Ekwueme. It is absurd that since 1999, going to 2023, the South-East will never be considered to run for the presidency under the PDP.”
Ologbondiyan has, however, told The ICIR the party is yet to make a decision about zoning.
“PDP is yet to take a decision on zoning,” he said in a response to The ICIR.
The PDP has always adopted the zoning method to rotate power between the south and the north.
In 1999, former President Olusegun Obasanjo who is from the South-West emerged the president after he won the party’s presidential ticket against Alex Ekueme, a South-Easterner.
But for Obasanjo’s emergence, Ekwueme would have been the first democratically elected president of the country in 1999.
Umar Musa Yar’Dua, a northern took over after Obasanjo’s tenure. Though he could not finish his term in office, he spent about two years running affairs of the country.
He died on 5th May 2010 at the presidential villa and his vice, Goodluck Jonathan took over the mantle of power, thus completed Yar’dua’s tenure and got re-elected for another four years.
Jonathan is from the South-South.
Therefore, reports show that the South West has produced a president under the PDP, South-South has done same including the North West. Regions yet to lead the country under the PDP are the South-East, North-East and the North Central.
To address the situation ahead of 2023, the PDP National Caucus met in Abuja. The executive members met barely a few days after Umahi’s defection.
A Committee chaired by Governor Bala Mohammed earlier shared a review of the 2019 general election. The caucus eventually agreed to reposition the party, review its manifesto in line with the current happenings.
Olugbenga heads the Investigations Desk at The ICIR. Do you have a scoop? Shoot him an email at [email protected]. Twitter Handle: @OluAdanikin