The battle over zoning and consensus candidacy is raging in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Presidential aspirants, including former Senate President Bukola Saraki and Governors Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto State), Bala Mohammed (Bauchi) and eminent banker Mohammed Hahayatu-Deen are pushing for consensus.

Following reports that PDP’s committee has recommended that zoning be jettisoned for a free contest by aspirants, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo said the move is meant to deprive the South, particularly the Southeast, of the ticket.

Objecting to the alleged neglect of zoning, Ohanaeze Ndigbo President-General Prof. George Obizor, said the plan to throw open the ticket is suicidal.

He pointed out that the opposition party is violating the provision of its constitution on zoning and rotation.

Another contender, former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose, said consensus would not work.

The former governor said the arrangement was undemocratic, adding that it was dead on arrival.

Fayose, who has obtained his nomination form, vowed not to step down for any aspirant at the primary.

The former governor, who spoke on Channels, also faulted the alleged decision of the 37-man panel on zoning.

However, the Zoning Committee Chairman, Benue State Governor Samuel Orton, clarified yesterday that the party has not thrown the ticket open to aspirants from the six regions.

Also yesterday, PDP National Chairman Dr. Iyorcha Ayu, who received another presidential aspirant, former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi, at the party secretariat in Abuja, said all the 13 aspirants were competent and would do better than President Muhammadu Buhari if elected.

Tambuwal, who continued his mobilisation, met the PDP National Assembly Caucus over his ambition.

In Akwa Ibom State, traders pledged to support the presidential ambition of Governor Udom Emmanuel with N500 million.

Yesterday, the pro-consensus group met with Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike in Port-Harcourt.

Fayose rejected the insinuation that the PDP would only give its ticket to an individual that can win the election.

He said some of those ‘who-can-win-election’ politicians were ‘paperweights’.

He said while the party was trying to bring everybody together under the same umbrella, it should not be in a hurry to forget the history of some chieftains.

Fayose said Atiku and Saraki abandoned the party and returned a few years ago.

Rejecting the push for consensus, he said: “With due respect to the former Vice President of Nigeria, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, what was PDP’s performance in the presidential election in 2019? We only won with 20,000 votes even in Adamawa in his home state. This tells us something fundamental.

“Coming to the former immediate past Senate President, Bukola Saraki, how did PDP perform in the last election in Kwara? We lost. What does that tell us? And in Sokoto, how did we perform?”

Fayose said those saying some people were better than others in politics should not forget statistical facts of how the party performed in the last election.

He said though he was part of the party’s zoning committee, he decided to bolt out when it was becoming clear that the committee was tending towards reneging on the zoning agreement.

Fayose said: “I was with them, but I decided to leave them as I saw a trend in the discussion. I decided to take my nomination form and I won’t step down for anybody.”

Fayose said it was wrong for the party to jettison zoning, adding that, in 2019, the ticket was zoned to the North, hence, all Southern aspirants stepped down and supported the deal.

He said the committee made a mistake in its decision.

According to him, the committee arrived at that decision on the excuse that the party did not start the process early and that some people had purchased the nomination forms.

Fayose said: “I believe the committee made an error for not zoning. They say it was because the process did not start on time and some had purchased forms.

“The last primary we held in Port Harcourt, it was a Northern affair and so the South withdrew and supported the party’s candidate.

“If some of the people who came back to our party had become president while in APC, will they come back to the PDP?”

Fayose insisted that it was the turn of the South to govern Nigeria in 2023 and not another northern president to replace Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), who is from Katsina State in the terror-ravaged Northwest zone and whose two-term tenure will elapse in May 2023.

He said it was the South that should be mouthing the idea of a consensus candidate and not the North.

The ex-Ekiti governor said: “I saw those going around for consensus.

Who will step down for who? You ask me to step down? I won’t step down.

“They said they want all of us to come to a consensus. I have obtained the form today (yesterday). I am not going to step down. Who knows if it is me Nigerians want to vote for? Do you know the mind of Nigerians?

“Who will step down for who? I won’t step down for anybody. Any meeting or anywhere they talk about consensus is undemocratic.

“Consensus can only work where we all agree and that is why I obtained my form today.

“I will go to that election; I won’t step down. Any meeting that they want to talk about consensus, as good as that language sounds, is undemocratic.

“Let them choose me (as consensus), that is the only solution,” Fayose added.

About 13 aspirants have reportedly purchased the PDP presidential nomination form.

Ohanaeze: jettisoning zoning violates PDP constitution

In a statement in Enugu, Obiozor wondered why the PDP decided to jettison zoning when it is the turn of the South and particularly, the Southeast.

He said: “For the purpose of clarity, rotation and zoning principle is engrained in the PDP constitution in 2009. Article 7 (2) (c) states: ‘In pursuance of the principle of equity, justice and fairness, the party shall adhere to the policy of rotation and zoning of party and public elective offices, and it shall be enforced by the appropriate executive committee at all levels.’

“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.”

According to Obiozor, who deplored the unconscionable shifting of the goal post at the middle of the game: “It is a political blunder and betrayal given what Ndigbo have suffered in our own country and most recently for supporting the PDP.

“History has never been kind to betrayers and the treacherous. The machinations and conspiracies to deny Ndigbo their due place in Nigeria is an ingratitude that daily cries to God.

“Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide reiterates the position of the Southern and Middle Belt Leadership Forum led by Chief E. K. Clark that any party that does not zone its presidential ticket to the South should not expect the support of the Middle Belt and the entire South.

“It is, therefore, curious that the PDP should commit political hara-kiri at a time it is struggling for fresh air.

“It is unfortunate that the PDP glamourises inordinate ambitions; any political ambition that undermines nation-building should be checkmated.

“One of the roles of a political party in a democracy is nation-building and for the PDP to shirk its responsibilities is an unfortunate path to Golgotha.

“Let it be known that it runs contrary to the indomitable Igbo spirit to swallow any form of indignity, disdain or condescension from anybody or group.

“It is, therefore, highly inconceivable that the Igbo will validate a party or group that runs roughshod over its sensibilities.

“For the avoidance of doubt, there is hardly any society that can develop amidst crises. Development is a product, an effect that arises from peace, unity and national coherence.

“On the other hand, the basics of peace, unity and sustainable national development are justice, equity and human dignity.

“In order words, to expect sustainable economic development rooted in injustice is mere shadow-chasing.

“This is an irrepressible scientific, philosophical, historical and moral assertion that may be ignored at one’s peril.”

Obiozor urged Igbo presidential aspirants to remain focused and undaunted.

“This is because history will always vindicate the just,” he said.

Ortom: NEC will decide on zoning

Ortom dismissed insinuations in the media that the committee has thrown the presidential ticket open.

He said the committee was misquoted.

The governor spoke on Arise ‘Morning Show’.

Ortom said those who were not part of the meeting of the committee wanted to “force words into the committee’s mouth”.

“I want to clear the insinuation that the zoning committee has thrown open the presidential ticket. I did inform the media yesterday (Tuesday) that the committee had adopted a unanimous position to be presented to the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party. Where did I say that the committee had thrown open the presidential ticket?”

He added: “The committee will present the report to NEC. It is NEC that has the final authority on the zoning of positions.”

Obi: let the best candidate emerge

Obi called on the leadership of the party to adopt a process that would allow the best among the 13 presidential aspirants to emerge as a candidate.

Obi gave the charge yesterday at the Abuja secretariat of the PDP, shortly after submitting his nomination documents.

He said: “I said it last year. I said that I will look at the zoning trajectory and by the time I declared, I said that it was no longer the issue of zoning. I am contesting because I am qualified for the position.

“We are in a crisis situation. What the party can do is to allow the best candidate to emerge. Our country is in a crisis situation; we are now using over 90 per cent of our budget to service debt.

“So, in this situation, you need to bring in a competent person, a good manager of resources. We need to manage our resources, that is the crisis we face.”

Tambuwal seeks power devolution

Tambuwal stressed the need for devolution of power from the centre to the federating units.

Deploring the present over-concentration of power at the federal level, he said the country cannot develop under the present system.

He spoke yesterday during a consultative interactive session with PDP members in the two chambers of the National Assembly.

Tambuwal had, in 2018 lost the PDP ticket to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in a keenly contested primary election held in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

He said: “Why I am here is because of what I tried in 2018. And to the glory of God, God made this possible for Atiku Abubakar to emerge as our party’s flagbearer in Port Harcourt.

“The season is here again and I have the strength and support of several well-meaning leaders and members of our party to try again this time around

“I can make it to be the standard flag bearer of our party come our convention on May 28, 29, this year, God willing.”

Receiving Obi at the party office, Ayu said: “All our candidates that have bought forms so far are people that, if given the opportunity to run this country, will do 1,000 times better than what President Buhari and the APC have done in the last six years.”

Turning to Obi, the party chairman said: “When people of your quality show interest in our party to run for the presidency, we know that we are the right party to rule this country.

“We have the quality and we believe Nigerians will give the PDP the opportunity for one of you to lead the rescue mission, come 2023.”

Ayu chided the APC-led Federal Government for turning Nigeria into a debtor nation without justification and for committing over 90 per cent of federal revenues to debt-servicing.

Traders pledge N500m support for Emmanuel

Traders in Akwa Ibom have pledged to support the presidential aspiration of Emmanuel with the sum of N500million.

The traders under the aegis of the Akwa Ibom State Traders Association extolled the achievements of the governor in the past six years.

Emmanuel’s presidential nomination form was recently purchased by the Berekete family in Abuja.

Speaking during a media parley with reporters in Uyo, the state capital, the President of the Association, Mr. Idorenyin Raphael, said the governor is qualified for the position.

Wike holds closed-door meeting with aspirants

Wike held a closed-door meeting with some presidential aspirants: Mohammed, Tambuwal Saraki and Hayatu-Deen.

Wike said the aspirants were interested in promoting the unity of the party ahead of the primary and general elections.

He said: “Our interest is the unity of the party. Our interest is to make Nigerians happy by making sure that by 2023, PDP takes over the reins of government because Nigerians are patiently waiting.

“And I can assure you that we are going to work as a team to make Nigerians happy.”

The leader of the delegation, Saraki, said their discussion focused on identifying the best way to ensure unity within the party and among the presidential aspirants.