The President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo World Wide, Ambassador George A Obiozor, has said the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has committed political suicide by abandoning zoning ahead of the 2023 general elections.
Obiozor was reacting to the decision of the Governor Samuel Ortom-led PDP committee on zoning.
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The committee is reported to have thrown the presidential ticket of the party open to aspirants from all parts of the country.
Obiozor, who was quoted in a statement by the association’s National Publicity Secretary, Chiedozie Alex Ogbonnia, wondered why the PDP decided to jettison zoning when it is the turn of the South, and particularly the South East of Nigeria, to produce the next president.
Obiozor deplored what he called “the unconscionable shifting of the goal post in the middle of the game.
“Such unscrupulous violation of the zoning principle that has been well entrenched in the PDP constitution simply changes the rules of the game in order to deprive Ndigbo the opportunity to produce a president for Nigeria.
“The machinations and conspiracies to deny Ndigbo their due place in Nigeria is an ingratitude that daily cries to God,” he said,
Ohanaeze urged “all the Igbo presidential aspirants to remain focused and undaunted because of the PDP shenanigans because history will always vindicate the just,” the statement added.
But former National Secretary of the party, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, has said the zoning committee of the party which recently threw the presidential ticket open tried its best.
In an interview with Daily Trust, the PDP chieftain said the issue bedevilling the country is beyond North or South but about Nigeria.
However, Benue State Governor and Chairman, Zoning Committee of the PDP, Samuel Ortom, has denied media reports that his committee has thrown the presidential ticket of the party open.
A statement signed by Ortom’s spokesman, Nathaniel Ikyur, indicated that the governor bared his mind when he appeared on the ‘Morning Show’ of AriseTV prime time programme.
“I want to clear the insinuation that the zoning committee has thrown open the presidential ticket. I did inform the media yesterday (Tuesday, April 5, 2022) that the committee has adopted a unanimous position to be presented to the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party.
“Where did I say that the committee has thrown open the presidential ticket? The committee will present the report to NEC. It is NEC that has the final authority on the zoning of positions,” he said.
From Jude Aguguo Owuamanam (Owerri), Hope Abah Emmanuel (Makurdi) & Abdullateef Aliyu (Lagos)
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