2023: S/West PDP leaders insist on presidency

• Zoning won’t lead us to victory – Tambuwal

Leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the South West, on Tuesday, insisted that the presidential candidate of the party in the 2023 general elections must emerge from the southern states.

The position of the leaders was contained in a communiqué issued after a meeting of the South West extended zonal caucus of the party held at the government house, Agodi, Ibadan.

At the meeting were Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and three former governors from the zone – Ayodele Fayose (Ekiti), Olagunsoye Oyinlola (Osun) and Olusegun Mimiko (Ondo).

Others were the national vice chairman of the party, Taofeek Arapaja; Bode George, Ekiti former deputy governor, Olusola Eleka and Sen. Francis Fadahunsi from Osun.

Reading the communiqué, Chief Soji Adagunodo, explained that the South West zone of the party was in support of the Southern Governors’ Forum that the next president of the country should come from the South.

Adagunodo further stated that the party resolved that all its members in the zone should work towards winning the forthcoming offseason governorship elections in Osun and Ekiti states.

“We also resolved that the unity of the South West is a non-negotiable issue. To this end, we demand that all dispute resolution mechanisms should be on the front burner.

“The zone is desirous of fairness, justice and equity in the distribution of federal positions and appointments.

“We will support all efforts geared towards national cohesion through equitable distribution of federal positions and appointments among the geopolitical zones of the country,” the communiqué read.

Zoning won’t lead us to victory  – Tambuwal

But Sokoto State Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal has charged the PDP to concentrate on winning the 2023 presidential election first before talking about zoning. 

The presidential hopeful was speaking at a consultative meeting with former principal officers of the national and state assemblies in Abuja. 

He said: “For PDP, I have a question; Are we looking for zoning or winning? Now, this is for PDP. In the South, as of today, PDP is in eight government houses. APC is also in eight government houses, leaving one; Anambra. 

“In the North, APC is in 14 government houses; PDP is in five government houses. And they (APC) have the president. 

“So, I’m giving you this analysis so that together, as leaders of our party, we are working towards winning election, not zoning, not winning tickets.

“Yes, we can share tickets and everybody can take his piece and go to his zone. But you must plan to win election. That’s the reality of it. It’s not anybody’s making. I didn’t make myself to come from Sokoto, a Fulani man. No, it’s God. 

“God could have decided for me to be born somewhere else not in Nigeria. So we must accept these realities as a party and work with these realities to win election.”