North Central should produce Buhari’s successor, not party chair – Baraje

A former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje has stated that notwithstanding the zone that eventually gets the nod of the party leaders to produce the next national chairman, qualified sons, and daughters of the North Central zone will vie for the 2023 presidential ticket.

Baraje in a statement in Abuja noted that the North Central zone will follow to the letter the earlier declaration of the National Executive Committee (NEC) that zoning of party offices will not affect who flies the party flags for various elective offices.

He noted that the people of the zone aspire to produce the next president of Nigeria and that it has produced five national chairmen already for the party while there is a zone in the North that is yet to produce a substantive national chairman.

He also advised that the PDP should sustain its tradition of justice, equity, and fairness by ensuring that the zone which has not produced a substantive national chairman in the North is allowed to present a solid candidate capable of leading the party to victory in the next election.

Also, a former Chief Whip of the Senate, Sir Roland Owie, has urged the leadership of the PDP to zone the presidential ticket to the north for equity, fairness and justice.

Owie who made the call yesterday in an interview with journalists in Benin, said since 1999, the South under PDP had governed the country for 14 years while the North only ruled for less than three years.

“PDP is the only party that believes in the unity of this country. The presidency should go to the North. Let no individual interest or ambition stop PDP from doing what is right.

“Since 1999, the South governed through Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and Dr Goodluck Jonathan for 14 years and the North through late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua ruled for less than three years,” he said.

Similarly, the 2019 candidate of the PDP for Katsina South Senatorial District, Zaharadden Babba Mazoji has also said that the presidential candidate of the party should come from the North.

He said that the North has an outstanding tenure due to the death of former president Umaru Musa Yar’adua.