Direct Primary:Why Atiku’s Popularity May Prevent A Southerner From Emerging As PDP Flag Bearer

By Ogundele Olanrewaju

On Tuesday, the Nigeria political space witnessed a vital political development, after the Senate passed a resolution which made it compulsory for all political parties in the country to use only direct primary in nominating candidates for general elections.

To this end, even though many political analysts have predicted that the South has better chance of getting the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) presidential ticket, following the zoning of the party’s national chairmanship position to the North, worthy of note is this permutations may not work out again with the mandatory use of direct primary for nominating party’s presidential flag bearer.

In particular, if the leadership of the party approve the Governor Bala Mohammed-led committee report on 2019 presidential election, which had recommended that the 2023 presidential ticket be thrown open, then former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubukar who is perceived to be nursing 2023 presidential election may likely have an edge over any other Southern candidates because of his popularity.

This popularity may work in his favour since the compulsory direct primary gives opportunity to all registered members of the party to vote in the primary election to elect the party’s representative in the general elections.

Again, recall that obviously Southern states population is nothing to be compared to the teaming population of the Northerners, hence, if the party throws the presidential ticket open, there’s absolute great likelihood that aside Atiku’s wide popularity among party members, the high population of votes he’s likely to get from the North if this direct primary is used, may be enough to override that of any other or Southern presidential aspirants.

Meanwhile, Rivers state Governor, Nyesom Wike has disagreed with the Senate on compulsion of direct primary, saying the mode which each party chooses to select its candidates should be left for parties to decide and thus likened the move by the Senators as interference into party’s internal affairs.