As part of strategies to lure South East, South south and South west to vote the major opposition party’s presidential candidate in the February 25, 2023 polls, the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP) has concluded plan to balance political office holders’ zoning ahead of the election year.
Raye24reporters gathered that the Chairman of the BoT, Walid Jibrin, has said he will step down from his post seven months from now.
When asked how the party intends to ensure regional balancing since the party’s chairman, presidential candidate and BoT chairman are all northerners, Jibrin said he would soon step down and that his successor would “definitely” be a southerner.
Jibrin, who hailed the peaceful conduct of the convention, told one of our correspondents on Thursday, “I will step down in seven months and a southerner will emerge. The PDP is a party that believes in order, equity, fairness and justice, so once I step down, somebody from the South will step in.”
There are clear indications that Ayu will remain as the party’s national chairman until after the 2023 presidential election.
There have been calls for Ayu to step down since the presidential candidate of the party is also a northerner. He has also been accused of being partisan in the emergence of Atiku after he described Tambuwal as the hero of the convention for stepping down for the presidential candidate.
Speaking on the issue, the ranking BoT member said Ayu would remain in office till after the presidential election and would only step down if Atiku wins.
“Senator Ayu will remain as the party chairman to oversee our campaign and lead the party to victory. If Atiku wins, which we believe will be the case, he will step down and a southerner will replace him. But now, it’s hasty to ask him to resign and I can tell you he won’t do that,” the source stated.
Reacting to this, the party’s National Secretary, Prof Oladipo stated that the issue would be resolved in line with the constitution of the party.
“We had a national convention that produced Iyorchia Ayu as the chairman. We had another special convention that produced the presidential candidate. There are guidelines in our constitution and the Electoral Act for resolving such issues. I can assure you that it will be amicably resolved at the appropriate time in accordance with the law,” he added.
On the fate of the South in the PDP given that the three key positions are being occupied by northerners, Oladipo said, “We need to first rescue our country and have a functioning democracy before we talk about regional balancing. In a democracy, our wish may not necessarily translate to reality immediately, but it eventually will. We only need to be patient.”
On calls on Ayu to resign, a former Minister, Ebenezer Babatope, said he would not subscribe to such, noting that the party would find a way to redistribute the offices.
He said, “I don’t quite subscribe to asking Iyorchia Ayu to resign. The main subject of the complaint is that one region has dominated political positions in the party. That should be examined and redistribution made. But one must study the underlying factors of this situation.
“In the first instance, the last President before Buhari was Goodluck Jonathan, a southerner. That Ayu became the chairman is not by his design or creation, it was the party’s decision. Don’t forget that the party is supreme. What I can say is that we should do what we can to rectify anomalies in the system.
“It doesn’t sound so good to the ears to have the party chairman, BoT chairman and presidential candidate from the same region. That doesn’t sound well, but it’s not the fault of anybody.”
A former national chairman of the party, Dr Okwesilieze Nwodo, has faulted those calling for the National Chairman and Chairman of the BoT to resign their positions.
Nwodo said, “He (Ayu) cannot step down until we win the election. If we win the election and the party in its wisdom says now the President is in the North, then the chairman should come from the South. That is the way it has been, but then we haven’t got a president yet.
“If we don’t win the election and we change again, it is not ideal. We have to go through the election first before that matter can come up.
“On the BoT chairman, he has a five-year tenure, which should expire next year. So, why are they creating tension? People should have patience. Let the party win the election first.”
Another member of the BoT, Alhaji Shuaibu Oyedokun, said the party should not disrupt the present arrangement of the NWC for now.
Speaking in an interview with one of our correspondents on Friday, Oyedokun stated that the task before the party was how to dislodge the sitting government, saying the party should not allow itself to be distracted by the call for the national chairman to step down.
He added, “We are now in an election year and we have a body that has organised a very successful, free and fair presidential primary. We want to deliver by mobilising the party for a frontal onslaught against the sitting government. Is that the time we need any disruption?”
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