Chief Bode George says he’s not aware that the PDP has zoned its 2023 presidential ticket to any region.
Former Governor of Niger State, Babangida Aliyu’s controversial claim that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has resolved to re-zone its 2023 presidential ticket to the north has been faulted by leaders of the party in the southwest region.
Aliyu had on Friday, January 7, 2022, while addressing members of the Atiku Support Organisation said the PDP has agreed to pick a northern candidate as its presidential flagbearer in the 2023 elections.
He also said the party made the decision as a result of requests by party members.
But the opposition party has rejected the comment, saying the ex-governor does not speak for the party.
Reacting to Aliyu’s controversial comment, Chief Bode George, a former National Vice Chairman of the PDP in the southwest, told Punch that he was not aware that the PDP had zoned the ticket to any region.
He said, “I have no idea that the position has been zoned to the North. The party did not meet to take that decision. When we zoned the national offices, it was agreed that the presidential ticket is left open to the entire country. The former governor is a member of the BoT and I am sure he is an honorable man.
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“But I am also sure that the party has not met to take any decision on that unless he has any information not known to us or he is privileged to information that we do not know. I also know that the party at the national level would not play with the southern caucus. This is because, when we sneeze, the entire nation catches a cold.”
Chief Ebenezer Babatope, a member of the party’s BoT said he’s not been told by anybody in the party that the 2023 presidential slot has been zoned to the north.
“I have not been told that as a leader in the party. I am not aware of that. We have \good leadership in the PDP. Iyorchia Ayu is a credible leader and that gives us hope and confidence that everything is now well with the party.” he said.
Also, a former National Secretary of the PDP, Prof. Wale Oladipo asked Aliyu to disclose where and when the decision was made.
“He (Aliyu) should be asked at what meeting the decision was made? To the best of my knowledge, the National Executive Committee meeting and the expanded caucus meeting decided that we were going to zone only party offices and that we would reconvene later to discuss the issue of the presidential candidate, whether we would zone it or not”, Oladipo said.
He further said that the party in its last discussion agreed to throw the 2023 presidential ticket open to all Nigerians, who are members of the party.
He said no meeting has been convened after that.
