By Tosin Olatokunbo
Reno Omokiri, aide to former President Goodluck Jonathan has warned that no southern candidate can win next year’s presidential election for the People’s Democratic Party, PDP.
Clamour for the presidential ticket to be zoned to the south has reached a boiling point as more southerners insist on power shift or nothing.
Prominent PDP chiftains such as Chief Bode George, have joined the Southern Governors Forum, SGF calling for power to shift southwards after the end of incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure next year.
In line with this agitation, many presidential hopefuls in the PDP have joined the presidential race. They include Governors Nyesome Wike, Udom Emmanuel, Governor of Anambra state Peter Obi, Anyim Pius Anyim, a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, amongst others.
While PDP parades this array of presidential aspirants, Omokiri said they have no capacity to deliver the presidency for the party. He said the party should be prepared to remain in power wilderness for another four years if the party zoned its tickets to the south.
According to him, the ruling APC will capitalize on this to extend its holds on power, adding that President Buhari will pull his weight behind the party candidate to the election.
The APC has been dilly-dallying on whether to zone the party presidential ticket to the south, but analysts insist that the party is already moving towards that direction considering that many chieftains of the party from the north have called for power shift to the south.
Top among APC presidential aspirants from the south include Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos state and APC National Leader, Rotimi Amaechi, Minister of Transportation, Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour, Governors Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti state; Dave Umahi of Ebonyi state, amongst others.
In a series of tweets, the former presidential aide said Buhari would deliver the North for any Southern candidate in the election.
“Buhari has always had a captive audience of 12 million Northerners.If PDP fields a Southerner in 2023, his 12 million captive audience will obey Buhari’s command to vote for Tinubu. And he will win. The only way they won’t obey him is if the PDP fields a Northerner!” Omokiri said.
Omokiri had warned the PDP in an earlier tweet that the party will lose if goes ahead to zone its presidential ticket to any zone with lower voting strength.
