A source who pleaded anonymity said the PDP threw open the ticket “due to exigency of time” even as it affirmed, “zoning, as it is enshrined in our party’s constitution.”
By Ishaya Ibrahim, News Editor
The 37-member Zoning Committee appointed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to thrash out the knotty issue of zoning in the party, on Tuesday, took the easy way out by throwing the contest for the presidential ticket open to all regions.
While reaffirming that Zoning remains sacrosanct as enshrined in the party’s constitution, the Committee chaired by Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom, however, said that due to the exigency of time, it will throw open the presidential ticket to all aspirants.
The Committee recommended that henceforth Zoning should be sorted out at least six months before the sale of forms.
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The Southeast region had made a strong case that for purposes of fairness, justice and equity, the ticket should be zoned to the region, having produced neither a president nor vice president since 1999.
But the Ortom-led Committee which met on Tuesday at the Benue State Governor’s Lodge, Asokoro, Abuja, thought otherwise.
Instead, the Committee promoted the consensus option, arguing that it will help if pursued to its logical conclusion.
A source who pleaded anonymity said the committee threw open the ticket “due to exigency of time” even as it affirmed, “zoning, as it is enshrined in our party’s constitution.”
The committee made a four-point recommendation thus:
1. Zoning, as enshrined in our party constitution, is affirmed.
2. In spite of (1) above, (the) ticket is thrown Open, this time around due to exigency of the time.
3. Our Party is encouraged to always make the issue of zoning very clear at least 6 months before the sale of forms.
4. Our Party should commend the efforts of some of our contestants on the issue of consensus candidacy; the efforts should be seen to a peaceful and logical conclusion.
It will be recalled that on March 16, 2022, the PDP National Executive Committee, at its 95th meeting, set up a 37-man committee comprising of a member from each of the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory.
They were mandated to, within two weeks, recommend a zoning formula for the various elective offices ahead of next year’s polls.
Addressing journalists at the end of the meeting, Ortom said, “By the Grace of God, we have unanimously adopted a position that will be sent to the NEC of our party that appointed us.
“The good news for the teeming supporters of the PDP and Nigerians is that we have resolved and every one of us, the 37 members, unanimously adopted the position that we are going to present to NEC.”
The Punch newspaper quoted a senior party source who spoke shortly after the meeting and gave a reason why the Committee decided to throw the game wide open.
“Reference was made to the 10 states with the highest turnout of voters in the 2019 elections. Of these 10, nine were Northern states and only Lagos made the list. Kano, Kaduna, and Katsina had the highest voter turnout while Lagos came a distant fourth.
“Aspirants should be allowed to test their popularity at the primary election but if they choose to adopt a consensus approach, that will be acceptable to the party. It is a position every member of the committee was comfortable with.”
Meanwhile, the former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, a member of the Committee resigned his membership before the meeting started in Abuja today.
Fayose declared his presidential aspiration last week.
In a letter he addressed to Governor Ortom before the commencement of Tuesday’s meeting, the former governor argued that his status as a presidential aspirant in the PDP disqualified him from sitting on the committee.
The letter read, “Having hinted during our last meeting of my intention to run for the Office of the President in the coming primary election and by God’s grace, the general election, it will not be morally right to continue to participate in the zoning debate being an aspirant myself.
“Therefore, my state has nominated the bearer of this letter, Dr Gbenga Faseluka, to replace me.”
In attendance were Governors Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu, Darius Ishaku of Taraba; former Deputy National Chairman Bode George, and former governors Ahmed Makarfi (Kaduna), Boni Haruna (Adamawa), Sule Lamido (Jigawa) and Ibrahim Shema (Katsina).
Others include former Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Relations, Tanimu Turaki, former Information Minister Prof. Jerry Gana, Chairman, PDP Disciplinary Committee, Tom Ikimi, among others.
Many Nigerians will not be surprised at the decision.
But a high-ranking PDP official told TheNiche that the decision to throw the contest open is a tricky one but expected given the fact that almost all the aspirants had obtained their forms.
“The zoning option flew out of the window the moment former Vice President Atiku Abubakar obtained the forms.
“His action was deliberate and he did it to forestall the idea of zoning.
“It is also difficult to see how the consensus option will work. Who will agree to step down? I just hope that the inordinate ambition and ego of the political gladiators does not harm the chances of PDP because all things considered, the 2023 election is PDP’s to lose.”