2023: Leaving Presidency ticket open in PDP unfair, recipe for disaster-Olabode George

By Ogundele Olanrewaju

Former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George, on Sunday, reacted sharply to the zoning which gave the North the chairmanship of the party and left the presidency open, describing it as incongruous, unfair, unwholesome and a recipe for disaster.

This was just as George noted that the new arrangement was a threat to the unwritten doctrine within PDP, insisting that come 2023, the presidential candidate of the party must come from the South for equity and fairness since the national chairmanship of PDP had been zoned to the North.

George, who is also the Atona Oodua, gave this position in a release titled: “Zoning is about equity and fairness,” citing the laid down rules and regulations of the party which upheld that position concerning sharing of six key offices in the country, since 1999.

Nigerian Tribune reports that the party a few days ago at one of its meetings threw open the presidency slot, saying all the six zones of the country can now contest for the seat, come 2023.

“The zoning arrangement which gave the North the chairmanship of our party and leaves the presidency open is incongruous, unwholesome and a recipe for disaster.

“Once the chairmanship is now in the North, the presidency must come to the South. There must not be any ambiguity at all. This should be crystal clear. Hanging the presidency in the air like a hovering craft without a landing zone is dangerous, unfair and wrong,” George said.

George, while insisting on the South producing the next president on PDP platform, said the six key positions in the country were zoned by the party because of the necessity of national belonging and accommodation, noting that it was to ensure that every section of the country “have a sense of equitable participation in our national life.”

He added that this had been the enduring pivot of the country’s democratic experience since 1999.