2019: New mega party zones Presidency to the North •VP for S/East, Senate President for S/West

Leaders of the new mega party, the Action Democratic Party (ADP) are said to have resolved to zone the Presidential ticket of the party to the Northern part of the country, in a measure aimed at “sustaining the power momentum,” a source close to the party has said.

Though promoters of the party only last Wednesday submitted documents to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in search of registration, the leaders are said to have resolved not to leave things to chance.

It was gathered that the party is ‘‘learning from the failures of the All Progressives Congress(APC), which also dubbed itself a mega party at inception, but had failed to deal with issues of power configuration and thereby fell into a stiff power struggle its leaders are still grappling with at the National Assembly.

“We will not make the same mistakes made by the APC and the other big party, the PDP. We are ready to take adequate notice of the sensibilities of the various geopolitical components of the country and ensure that all interests are taken care of,” a leader of the ADP told Sunday Tribune.

It was gathered that besides zoning the presidency to the North, and particularly the North- West, the party is also contemplating zoning the vice president’s slot to the South-East while the position of the Senate president will be zoned to the South-West.

Sources said that discussions among the leaders tend towards firming up the zoning arrangement even before the registration of the party.

South-South Zonal Coordinator of the party, Senator Rowland Owie, also said in an interview that the party was thinking of zoning the seats.

He told Sunday Tribune that the South-East should be wary of the advice from former President Olusegun Obasanjo that its politicians should seek Presidency in 2019 adding that the zone would be better off with the slot of vice president in 2019.

“I urge the South-East to support the emerging ADP and get the VP slot in 2019 and thereafter take the presidential slot when presidency returns to the South,” he said.

Protem national chairman of the ADP,  Mr Yagbayi Sani, also told the Sunday Tribune in an interview that the party was ready to learn from the errors of the ruling APC and the PDP, adding that the two parties have lost their appeal to Nigerians.

According to him, while the ADP is not out for power grab in 2019, the new party will be willing to benefit from the beauty of democracy which, he said, “enables the people to bring a government to power and also change the governments at intervals.”