2023: APC is afraid of zoning because of PDP ― VON DG

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3 years ago

Osita Okechukwu

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Director-General (DG) of Voice of Nigeria (VON), Osita Okechukwu, has attributed the controversial remarks by the national chairman of the party, Senator Abdullahi Adamu on zoning to the prevarication of the People’s Democratic Party on the zoning of its presidential ticket.

Speaking on Friday at the Presidential Villa after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, Senator Adamu had said the presidential race was an open contest in the APC as no position has been taken on zoning.

Okechukwu told newsmen in Abuja that it would be foolhardy of the APC to take a position on zoning when the main opposition party was yet to take zone its presidential ticket.

He said: “Although one is not holding the brief of our distinguished national Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, one’s little understanding is that the leadership of our great party, is watching closely the desperation and antics of our elder sister political party, the PDP.

“They want to capture power, by all means, indeed using Machiavellian tactics. We all know that PDP is famished, thirsty and desperate to win the Presidency in 2023. They loathe the loss of their slogan ‘Share the Money’ through their absence from power at the centre for seven going to eight years.”

“PDP is aware that President Buhari will not be on the ballot in 2023, therefore, for them, there is a void to fill. They must have reasoned that the Buhari’s Vote Bank would be up for grabs if they go North.

“Methinks PDP’s calculation is a desperate one, and selfish to the extent that they breached their own constitution and their age-long die-hard supporters in the South, especially the Southeast.”

“As a corollary, APC seems to have adopted the cat and mouse game, because if the PDP adopts the terra firma or doctrine of realpolitik, which places electoral victory above their constitution, the moral high ground and ethics of their members and supporters in the South; APC wants to do the pragmatic thing. That is going back to the drawing board.”

Okechukwu further faulted the statement attributed to Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai that the zoning of the presidential ticket to the South was settled since the national chairman had emerged from North, as he noted that the Kaduna State governor did not take cognisance of the permutation in the PDP.

“To be frank, my take on the matter is that the swap option is still open because some of us from the South are still arguing that we have dormant votes, especially Igbo votes which will augment APC members’ votes from the north.

“However, if at the end of the day the zoning fails, we should blame PDP’s desperation, because we have been advocating a repeat of the Chiefs Obasanjo/Falae; Yar’Adua/Buhari and Buhari/Atiku models of 1999, 2007 and 2019 models.”

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