2023: Zoning has come to stay in PDP, Ayu tells presidential aspirants

The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Iyorchia Ayu, says zoning has come to stay in the opposition party.

Speaking while inaugurating the 37-member zoning committee at the party headquarters in Abuja, on Thursday, he tasked presidential aspirants of the party to accept the outcome of the committee.

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He spoke about the time when the Governors of Sokoto and Bauchi, Aminu Tambuwal and Bala Mohammed, and the former Senate President Bukola Saraki met in Abuja on Thursday to rally all the presidential aspirants on the platform of the party for a consensus arrangement.

Ayu said the unity of the party and how to win the next presidential election was more important to the party and its members.

“At the beginning, we push the presidency to the south. I was one of those who took that decision. And there are many others here in this hall. After General Olusegun Obasanjo, we voluntarily sent it to Katsina but fate played a fast one on us. But in the same spirit, after Late Umaru Yar’Adua, we sent it to Bayelsa.

“So PDP has a history of rotating our offices. Anybody who doesn’t get it this time should wait after the tenure whoever will be our next president. We believe PDP is going to produce the next President. Once we start this journey this time, we will ensure it goes round. And it will go round with justice, fairness and the interests of Nigeria.”

The Chairman also said there is no issue that is too difficult for the PDP to resolve, “Therefore I urge all of you to discuss this matter. With the same spirit that you discuss at NEC because most of you are members of NEC, you knew what happened and you are free to advance your arguments. Let us not have any rancour whatsoever and at the end of the day, remain focused on the main goal.

“That main goal is for us to win power next year. And how do we win power? We can only win power by uniting, by working together. Because even if you are from Ebonyi or Anambra and you fight to be the president of our country through the PDP platform, and you pursue it with rancour, even if you win party nomination, other people will not vote for you. They will not be willing to work for you.

“But if you pursue it without bitterness, whoever wins will rally around the person and then the party will win election next year. And there will be something for everybody for every constituency in this country.

“I therefore employ you never to lose sight of the bigger picture of the bigger objective. And that big sight is to maintain our unity which carried us through the last convention. So that at the end of May, we shall present a PDP presidential candidate Nigerians will be proud of. We will go to elections and win.”