Bode George writes PDP chairman Ayu, warns on danger of not zoning 2023 presidency

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its former Deputy National Chairman (South-West), Chief Olabode George, has once again warned the party that “any attempt to jettison the zoning arrangement will affect the PDP’s chances in 2023.”

George gave the warning in a letter he addressed to the National Chairman of the party, Senator Iyorchia Ayu on Sunday, insisting that the decision of the PDP to throw open its ticket will not only spell doom for the party but will see it lose the trust of Nigerians.

George who cited Section 7 sub-section 3(c) of the party’s Constitution, noted that in the spirit of equity, fairness and justice, the PDP must zone the presidential ticket of the party to the South-East.

He added that the founding fathers of the PDP in their wisdom, came up with the idea of zoning which they believed was to ensure equity and fairness, and urged the National Working Committee of the party not to ignore the arrangement.

George who is a member of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT), said the zoning committee had only made a recommendation by saying the Presidential ticket should be thrown open, urging the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the PDP “to listen and feel the pulse of the people on the issue.”

He continued, “Personally, my view is that the PDP should make a definitive statement that this thing is zoned to the South, so that we will be seen as not only obeying the law of our party, we will appear before that lady of justice blindfolded with the sword and the scale.

“She doesn’t care who you are, the truth will come out and I am saying this for posterity’s sake.

Read also: Bode George warns PDP against plans to discard zoning

“If we start counting from 1960, together with the military era, how many people have occupied this position from the north and how many from the south? We should stop counting from 1999; it is half-measured counting. The party must come out and be honest and say that this thing must go to the south.

“Though, we don’t have the power to override our national Constitution which gives every Nigerian the right to contest for any position of the land except you are an ex-convict. We must be strong enough, to tell the truth to power, that is the very fundamental of democracy.

“No zone, whether you are minority or majority, will go home without something to show to their people. But when you look at it like that, after eight years, all positions in the south will go to the north and all the positions in the south will come to the north,” he wrote.

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