A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP in Kano state and one of its national chairmanship aspirant, Comrade Isa Tijani has declared that for Nigeria to sustain its unity, there is need for PDP to zone the 2023 presidential ticket to the South.
Tijani in a chat with reporters in Abuja explained that the measure is required for national stability and cohesion.
While he warned against subterranean moves to zone the presidency to the North, Tijani argued that the PDP stands a good chance of unseating the ruling All Progressives Congress APC if it does not fall into the temptation of jettisoning the zoning arrangement.
“I want it (presidency) to be zoned to the South. South west or South east. Already, we have a fragile polity, we should not give room for people to think that the issue of marginalization is real. In any case, we all as Nigerians have a reason to have the privilege to aspire.
“I want you to cast your memory back. How many times did President Buhari contest for the President? If we really have the numerical strength as put forward, he would have been President earlier. Until people like Tinubu came in and gave the South west support before it became a reality. So I don’t want to go with this gullibility. They should do what is just and needful.”
Tijani justified his aspiration to lead the PDP saying it was in line with the quest to reposition the opposition party ahead of the 2023 polls.
“I am in the race because I want to win. I believe in the PDP and in the sustainability of the corporate entity called Nigeria. Zoning the national chairmanship seat to the South is not in our best interests.
“The position should be zoned to the north because we want the next president to come from the south. I have the experience as a labour activist of many years standing. I have held several responsive positions in the past.
“I have contested elections and even aspired for the presidency through the labour party platform several years ago. We will rebuild the PDP and ensure it retains its long standing reputation as a winning machine”, he added.
