Chidoka, however, said PDP could have won the 2023 presidential election, if it zoned the party’s ticket to South East
By Kehinde Okeowo
Former Minister of Aviation and ex-Corps Marshal and Chief Executive of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Osita Chidoka has said the South-East geopolitical zone must form alliances with other regions to realise its ambition of producing the president.
Chidoka, made the assertion recently, while speaking in Umuahia, the capital of Aboa State, during a live program on a radio station, FLO 94.9 FM.
According to the former minister, the present approach being applied by politicians in the zone cannot guarantee a victory for a presidential candidate of South-East extraction.
While advising South-East politicians, he alluded to the fact the South West geopolitical region, which was always in the opposition, realised the need to be in the centre and formed alliance with the North.
He went on to add that such strategic alliance has made them relevant since the return of democracy in 1999.
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Chidoka, who recalled how the NCNC/NEPU, NCNC/NPC and NPN/NPP accords saw the South East playing important political leadership roles in the past, advised his kinsmen to revisit the approach for their own benefit.
He made it clear that no zone can achieve the task of producing the President of the country just by counting only on votes or key candidates from her area, as obtained in the South East during the presidential poll.
He also noted that votes from the South East are always in bloc for a particular candidate which entails that any perfect alliance struck by the zone with other power blocs could land a man from the East in Aso Rock.
He further suggested that the PDP could have won the 2023 Presidency if it zoned the ticket to the South East with a Northerner as the running mate.
“The South East should return to the coalition and negotiate with other regions to win the Presidency. It is something we can’t go alone”, he maintained.