2023: Afegbua tasks PDP to zone presidential ticket to South

• …Advises Atiku to withdraw from race

By Folorunso Alagbede, Abuja

A former Commissioner for Information in Edo State and erstwhile spokesperson to former military President, General Ibrahim Babangida, rtd, Prince Kassim Afegbua has harped on the need for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to zone its presidential ticket to the southern part of the country.

Similarly, Afegbua has advised former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to perish the idea of seeking the presidential ticket of PDP ahead of the 2023 general election and support a candidate from the southern part of the nation.

Afegbua, who is a registered member of the PDP in ward 5, Awuyemi Okpella, Edo State, declared that Nigerians in their millions are tired of seeing the faces of persons who have dominated the political space in the last forty years and yet, unwilling to take a bow.

The former Commissioner under the administration of the erstwhile Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, implored the new members of the National Executive Committee of the PDP and the National Working Committee to speak with one voice in ensuring that the Southern part of the country is given what is due to it.

He reasoned that by doing so, the PDP will be promoting fundamental principles of democracy of all inclusiveness and participation.

Afegbua however vowed that he will not hesitate to commence the process of mobilizing, sensitizing and conscientizing like minds and team up with other stakeholders to drum up the necessary support that will birth a Southern candidate for the party.

Justice, he pointed out, should not only be served, it must be seen to have been served.

In a statement personally signed by him and made available to journalists yesterday in Abuja, the former Commissioner said, “It will be against the run of play and natural justice for any aspirànt of Northern extraction to show interest in the 2023 presidential election within the Peoples’ Democratic Party threshold.

 It will offend national sentiments, emotions and logic for anyone from the North to show such interest given our diversities and hetereogenous political configurations.

“For me, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar should quit his quest for presidency and support a southern Nigerian candidate in the spirit of fairness, equity and justice, that will assuage the feelings of stakeholders from the Southern part of Nigeria.

“Given PDP’s doctrine of political power balancing and fairness, it will be against its own unwritten rule to cede the ticket to any Northern aspirànt least of all Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

“The Southern geopolitical zones of Nigeria have eminently qualified Nigerians and parade great minds who are competent and ready to take a shot at the number one job.

“Those who are advancing very nebulous theory of seeing the northern population as a stimulant to win the sympathy of the North against the South are either ignorant of the real demographics or at best, just playing the ostrich.

“No one in the North should take away what belongs to the South. That will be hurting the consciences and feelings of the average southerner.

 “If the argument is to suffice for example, for an Atiku presidency, he will be finishing his first term of four years at age 81. And were he to become a candidate in 2023 again, and per adventure he loses the election, are we, as PDP, going to reserve the position for him or any other Northerner in 2027? “These are very curious scenarios which cannot be overlooked. For 2023, an Atiku candidacy will be like promoting an expired product in the face of very compelling reason to look down South in our quest to wrestle power from the fractured APC.

“I will therefore implore the new management and members of the National Executive Committee of the PDP as well as the National Working Committee to speak with one voice in ensuring that the South is given what is due to it.

“Doing that, will mean promoting the fundamental principles of democracy of all inclusiveness and participation.

“Let it be known that I will not hesitate to commence the process of mobilizing, sensitizing and conscientizing like minds and team up with other stakeholders to drum up the necessary support that will birth a Southern candidate for the party.

“Justice should not only be served, it must be seen to have been served.

“Nigerians in their millions are tired of seeing the faces of persons who have dominated the political space in the last forty years and yet, unwilling to take a bow. In the spirit of the new thinking and paradigm shift, please tell them to allow us to breathe”, he stated.