2023: Why PDP Zoned Its Presidential Ticket To The North – Babangida; Group Calls Him Irresponsible

By Adesina Soyooye

One of the  2015 People’s Democratic Party’s (PDP) Governors who publicly confessed to sabotaging his Party, the PDP, during the 2015 Presidential election, Aliyu Babangida, has revealed that the Party has zoned its Presidential ticket to the North.

But in a swift reaction, a pan-Nigerian political group, Indigenous People of Nigeria, has asked him to shut-up. The IPN accused him of deliberate mischief and blackmail. He is not in a position to speak for the party, the IPN said.

Aliyu was a two-time Governor of Niger State. But as a PDP Governor, he worked against his Party and its Presidential candidate, then President Goodluck Jonathan, in the 2015 Presidential election, and boasted about it later.

Even though the PDP leadership insists it has not zoned the Presidential ticked to any Zone, Aliyu told a group rooting for the candidacy of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Atiku Support Organization, ASO,  that the PDP has re-zoned the Presidential seat to the North.

But countering Aliyu Babangida, the IPN said: “Our attention has been drawn to a viral But provocative statement by a former Governor of Niger State, and a self-,styled Chief Servant, Alhaji Babangida Aliyu, that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has agreed to zone its Presidential ticket to the Northern part of Nigeria.

“Alhaji Aliyu, to those who may be unaware of his notorious character and personality, is notorious for bigotry, falsehood, treachery and divisiveness even during his infamous eight years as Governor of Niger State. This man, who by his status as a former Governor and agr ought to act statesmanlike, has over the years displayed his hatred for the people of Southern Nigeria and Peoples Democratic Party.

“For the avoidance of doubt, Alhaji Aliyu is neither the Spokesman of PDP, nor a member of the Party’s Zoning Committee, and thus, unqualified to speak for the party on zoning or in any capacity whatsoever. Therefore, it is uncharitable of him to make a claim that is capable of disrupting the relative peace being experienced in the PDP.”

Urging the PDP to discipline Aliyu, the IPN said “Aliyu has lost every credibility to qualify as a leader in Nigeria  under any guise, and must not be seen in the capacity of a leader nor rewarded with any leadership role.”

For the love of the country, for fairness and equity, the IPN insisted, the PDP should zone its Presidential ticket to Southern Nigeria.

At its recent National Convention where Dr Iyorchia Ayu was elected, the National Chairman, the Party had said it would throw open the Presidential ticket. But Babangida says the party has since changed its mind following requests, according to him, from some Nigerians whose names he did not mention.

His words: “In our zoning agreement, we have decided to rezone it to the North as requested by others, but we have agreed and written openly as a result of what has transpired that any candidate from any part of the country can now contest this election.”

What the former Governor means is that the PDP deliberately, publicly, said it has thrown the ticked open to all Zones, behind closed doors, zoned it to the North.

On Saturday, January 8, the Publicity Secretary of the party, Debo Ologunagba, in a statement, denied that the PDP has zoned its Presidential ticket to any part of the country.

He said: “For the avoidance of doubt, the PDP emphatically and unequivocally states that it has not zoned its Presidential ticket to any part of the country.”

Recall that on January 1, 2022, the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike,  surprisingly, endorsed the Presidential aspiration of Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed. Before now, Wike was among the Southern Governors, who at a meeting of the Forum in Asaba, Delta State, insisted that the Presidential seat must rotate to the South in 2023.