October 10, (THEWILL) – Former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Olabode George has said that for equity and fairness, since the National Chairmanship of the party has been zoned to the North, the Presidential Candidate of the party must come from the South.
George in a release he issued and signed Sunday titled: ” Zoning is about equity and fairness”, said, “There is an old, enlightening principle laid down by the founding fathers of our party since 1999 that six key positions must always be zoned to the six geo political constituents of our nation to ensure equity and orderly balance of power. The six key positions are the President, Vice President, National Chairman, Senate
President, Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).
He said “Naturally, this means that if the Presidency goes to the North, the Chairman of the party goes
to the South and vice versa. All these positions are zoned because of the necessity of national belonging and accommodation. Every section of this nation
must have a sense of equitable participation in our national life. This has been the enduring pivot of our democratic experience since 1999”.
George said there is now
a threat to this unwritten doctrine, adding that “The zoning arrangement which gave the north the Chairmanship of our party and leaves the Presidency open is incongruous, unwholesome and a recipe for disaster.
“Once the Chairmanship is now in the north, the presidency must come to the south. There must not be any ambiguity at all. This should be crystal clear. Hanging the presidency in the air like a hovering craft without a landing zone is dangerous, unfair and wrong”.
He said “in a nation reeling with divisive politics, marred with discord and ethnic distrust, it is
rather inexplicable that the stakeholders in our party cannot be firm and decisive about an issue that will inevitably affect the future of our party and the nation itself.”
George who called on all PDP stakeholders to come together and reaffirm what he called the great vision of PDP founding fathers said “this is not the time for uncertainties and half measures,.adding, “Our vision must be clear. Our goal must be certain. Our resolve must be sincere”.
He warned that the PDP can
reclaim the centre in 2023 only if every section of this great nation is
treated as co-equal and a significant partner in the national voyage.
“There is no other way. Zoning of all the six key offices will continue to ensure a strong and healthy democratic nation anchored on the fairness doctrine”, George said.
” Let us do what is right. Let us do what is proper. Let us revisit the precedents that have sustained us and put us in good stead among Nigeria people. This is my
advice to all the ranks and files of the party. And this is the only way we can appeal to the generality of our people and win the presidency in 2023″, he further said.
About the Author
AYO ESAN, has been actively reporting and analyzing political events for different newspapers for over 18 years. He has also successfully covered national and state elections in Nigeria since the inception of this democracy in 1999.
