Ex-Senate Chief Whip urges PDP to zone 2023 presidential ticket to North
Former Chief Whip of the Senate, Sen. Roland Owie, has urged the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to pick its presidential candidate for the 2023 Presidential election from the North.
Owie who made the call while speaking with newsmen in Benin on Monday, said the decision would allow for “equity and fairness,” stressing that since 1999, the South has had 14 years while the North had less than three years under the PDP.
According to him, the South has through Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and Dr Goodluck Jonathan, governed the country for 14 years while the North through late Alhaji Musa Yar’Adua, had less than three years under the PDP.
“Under the PDP constitution, zoning is not in it but it was brought in. It was on the basis of the injustice meted out to the West because of the case of late Chief MKO Abiola that led to the ceding of the presidency to the West which produced President Olusegun Obasanjo as president.
“The two major parties decided to bring their candidates from the South-West, our party, the PDP presented Olusegun Obasanjo while the APP/AD produced Olu Falae and we went into the election to build unity, to build a consensus that it should rotate.
“Obasanjo lost his unit, lost his ward, lost his local government, lost his state, lost his zone but still won the election because there was a consensus.
“Obasanjo did his eight years even though within the time we tried to impeach and the presidency moved to the North in 2007.
“Then the two major parties picked their candidates from the North and late President Yar’Adua won but Yar’Adua spent two years plus and God called him and his Vice became acting president and then contested a second one and became president.
“So if you calculate, from 1999 to now under the PDP, the Southern part of Nigeria has taken 14 years, 240 days as president while the North took two years plus.
“For the APC, I can’t talk for them but the North has taken eight years so they are very free to rotate their presidency to the South but the PDP will be unjust if it takes its candidate from the South.
“As the only party that believes in the unity of this country, the 2023 presidential ticket should go to the North. Let no individual interest or ambition stop PDP from doing what is right,” he stated.
