POLITICAL NOTES

The 94th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) last Thursday raised hopes for the emergence of a southern presidential candidate for the party when it rose in support of the governors of the party, and unanimously adopted the report of the National Convention Zoning Committee (NCZC).

The NCZC, chaired by the Enugu State Governor, Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, had zoned the national chairmanship of the party to the North.

This development has effectively brightened the possibility of a southern presidential candidate, since the chairman of the party and its presidential candidate cannot emerge from the same zone.

By PDP’s arrangement, the next presidential candidate should have come from the North after former President Goodluck Jonathan’s tenure.

But with the emergence of President Muhammadu Buhari who is enjoying his second term, power cannot go back to the North in 2023, otherwise it will defeat the spirit behind the PDP’s zoning arrangement, which is to ensure equity and justice.

The objective of the PDP’s zoning arrangement is to ensure that power rotates between the North and South every eight years.

Since the North has enjoyed its slot under the All Progressives Congress (APC), it is expected that both the APC and the PDP should present southern candidates in the 2023 presidential poll. (THISDAY)

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