The decision of the People’s Democratic Party’s (PDP) National Executive Committee (NEC) to zone the presidency to the South, and retaining the National Chairman of the party in the North has been described as another clear vindication of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike and the G-5’s position in 2022.
The Minister’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, who reacted to the zoning, asked; “Now, that the party has realised its mistake of not listening to Wike and the G-5 in 2022, and have chosen to do what they said, three years after, have they not been vindicated now?”
“Recall that the FCT Minister and the G-5 had insisted that the presidential candidate of the PDP and its National Chairman must not remain in the same zone, insisting that since Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, from the North had emerged as the presidential candidate, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, also from the North must resign to pave the way for a National Chairman from the South. Ayu, however, insisted on not resigning, with Atiku and his group backing him. Aftermath of this was the electoral misfortune the party suffered in 2023, followed by instability after the elections,” he stated.
Olayinka insisted that by not listening to his boss, PDP suffered electoral defeat in 2023 elections.
“But today, the NEC resolved that since the National Chairman of the party is zoned to the North, the PDP 2027 Presidential ticket be zoned to the South.
“Has PDP not come back to eat its own vomit?
“Sadly, they know the truth. Wike simply said, take the chairmanship to the South if you want to gain the presidency, but they said no, they must take the two, and the PDP lost!
“They have realised the mistake they made in 2022 and are correcting it in 2025. But is it not too late already, bearing in mind that the only way the zoning can be justified is for the South to conclude its eight years, while the presidency returns to the North in 2031?,” he stated.
Culled: Leadership newspaper