PDP warned against fielding a northerner in 2023 presidential election

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been warned against fielding a presidential candidate from the North in 2023 as this may lead to a mass exodus within the major opposition party.

A political advocacy group, Reset Nigeria, which made the call in a statement, said the party risks mass exodus of members and extinction if it fails to field a presidential candidate from Southern Nigeria in line with the idea of the rotational presidency between the North and the south.

The group in the statement signed by its spokesperson, Ibrahim Mustapha, said it has noticed that some governors in the PDP are plotting to field a northern candidate in a bid for one of them to be chosen as running mate at the poll.

“In the meantime, the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC led by President Muhammadu Buhari (a northerner) would have spent eight years in power by 2023. The PDP as a party is planning to take power back to the North again. This may prompt an already impending mass exodus of PDP members to the APC, being that they feel that the ruling party will zone its presidential ticket to the South, which is the right thing to do.

“This is a wind that may blow very soon, and it will come as a rude shock to the PDP. More so, it may be the end of the PDP in Nigeria’s political process,” the group said.

The group, which said zoning the presidency to the South will rekindle Nigeria’s unity, and promote justice, equity and fairness, alleged that there are ongoing secret meetings and consultations in the PDP on how best to present a northern presidential candidate in 2023.

It, however, warned that “This may be a tsunami that will wipe out the PDP totally,” noting that elder statesmen have kicked against the notion of retaining the presidency in the North.