Nigerians should raise voices against PDP’s disregard for zoning ― Nabena

A former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Honourable Yekini Nabena, has said Nigerians should be more worried about the main opposition party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP)’s disregard for power shift to the South than the single faith ticket choice of the ruling All Progressives Congress.

Nabena made the submission on the heels of sustained criticisms trailing the choice of two-term Borno State Governor and Senator representing Borno Central Kashim Shettima, as the vice-presidential candidate of the APC. Incidentally, both the presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu and his running mate, Senator Shettima belong to the Muslim faith.

The former APC deputy national publicity secretary however told journalists in Abuja that the PDP jettisoning of zoning of the presidency was harmful to the nation that the single faith ticket of the ruling party.

Nabena noted that the emergence of Atiku Abubakar as the PDP presidential candidate was against fairness and conventional power rotation between the North and the South, and not a Muslim-Muslim ticket of the ruling party.

The APC chieftain said Nigerians should give priority to good governance, as he noted that in the South-south geopolitical zone where most of the states have Christian-Christian governor and deputy governor, the states are yet to develop despite their huge oil revenues.

The APC former spokesman also said a single faith ticket is not new in Nigeria both under the military regimes and the civilian dispensation.

He recalled that in 2011 when the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) fielded Nuhu Ribadu and Fola Adeola, both Muslims, there was no cry by the opposition because the ticket stood no chance of winning.

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Nabena said: “None of those agitating against the Muslim-Muslim ticket on the basis of fairness has considered the African traditional worshippers. How fair is it that we are agitating for fairness and equity to share power between Christians and Muslims while completely ignoring and alienating our African traditional worshippers? Where is the justice?

“Nigeria should worry more about the zoning arrangement which the PDP has just killed for their selfish interest and desperation of its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar because for Atiku it is the last chance which will become one-chance for him by 2023.”

When asked whether a Muslim-Muslim ticket will sell in the South-south where he hails from, the Bayelsa-born APC chieftain said: “In the South-south where we have Christian-Christian ticket for the governor and deputy governor still there is no tangible development. Take for example, the Niger Delta Development Commission headed by a Christian minister and a Christian managing director, what is the result?

“The APC has done the right thing by zoning the presidency to the South. Nigerians must know that religion is a matter of individual choice, the most important thing is that the presidency is in the South compared to PDP’s unfair treatment to the South.”

The APC former spokesman said Nigerians must reject PDP in 2023 to show their resentment against the injustice done to the zoning arrangement.

“PDP zoned presidency to the North while the incumbent president is from the North, a Muslim and Fulani man, just like Atiku. This actually calls for anger and not harmless Muslim-Muslim ticket of the APC,” Nabena said.