• Delegates’ inducement with money forced Tambuwal to step down – Gov’s aide
Organisations clamouring for power shift to the South on Sunday expressed anger over the emergence of a former Vice-President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, as the 2023 presidential candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party.
The groups and individuals, in separate interviews with The PUNCH, said Atiku’s emergence negated the zoning principle entrenched in the PDP constitution.
During the PDP presidential primary held at the Moshood Abiola Stadium on Saturday, Atiku polled 371 votes to defeat the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, who got 237 votes; a former President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, 70 votes; the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Emmanuel Udom, 38 votes; the Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, 20 votes; a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim, 14 votes and an ex-President of Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, Sam Ohuabunwa, one vote.
But delegates were surprised when the Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, who was one of the front runners for the presidential ticket, stepped down and directed his supporters to vote for Atiku as a result of what sources said was due to the intervention of the northern elders, who were pushing for a northern consensus aspirant.
Ahead of the expiration of the President, Major General Muhammadu’s (retd.) eight-year tenure on May 29 next year, interest groups, including the Southern Governors’ Forum, the pan-Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo and the Southern and Middle Belt Elders’ Forum have been calling for the zoning of the presidency to the South.
On Sunday, some of them slammed the PDP over the emergence of Atiku, particularly what they described as a gang-up by the North against the South.
The Nigeria Equity Group, in a statement by its National Convener, Emeka Nwosu; and National Secretary, Mohammed Mubarak, criticised the candidacy of Atiku, saying power should shift to the South after the two-term tenure of Buhari.
The statement partly read, “We wish to respond to the emergence of the former Vice-President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, as the presidential candidate of the PDP for the 2023 presidential election. Alhaji Atiku, a northern Muslim, defeated a plethora of the PDP presidential aspirants in a contentious primary election in Abuja to lead the PDP charge for the general elections.
“We wish to draw attention to the fact that the NEG has campaigned vigorously for equity, fairness and inclusion in our body polity. In our several interventions over the years, we have appealed to the major political parties to be mindful of the complex heterogeneous Nigerian society and to work out a political solution that will be fair, inclusive and equitable to all.
“In this case, we believe what is just and fair is for presidential powers to be zoned to the South, specifically to a southern Christian, after the eight-year rule of President Muhammadu Buhari, a northern Muslim. We consider it to be very inequitable, unfair and potentially dangerous for the presidency to remain in the North after President Buhari’s tenure.” (Punch)
