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By Henry Umahi
Former national chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Victor Umeh, has lambasted the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for jettisoning zoning of its presidential ticket, saying it acted in bad faith.
In an exclusive chat, Umeh said the South East had remained loyal to the PDP for over 22 years but when it was time to reciprocate the support, the party decided to wear the toga of mischief. He said PDP would pay dearly if it denied the South East the presidential ticket.
“The news came to me as a grave shock, PDP is trying to destroy Nigeria. Nigeria has been surviving on a fragile template and the only thing that has been sustaining the country is the hope that one day, all will be well.
“I was a PDP founding member but I resigned in 2001. In the PDP constitution, it is expressly stated that there shall be zoning of offices between the six geopolitical zones and the party has been following it.
“That was why in 1999, the presidency went to the South and former president Olusegun Obasanjo emerged when he contested against Alex Ekwueme. After Obasanjo, it went to the North through the late president Musa Yar’Adua. When former president Goodluck Jonathan served out, in 2019, PDP zoned the office to the North through former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, who didn’t win. Now that President Muhammadu Buhari is leaving, it is the turn of the South.
“So, for the PDP to abandon it, to possibly create another president from the North after Buhari’s tenure, is a disservice to the unity of this country. It’s most painful.
“In 1998, when the PDP was founded and registered, I was in the home of Igwe Peter Anugwu, during his new yam festival. The big wigs in the PDP from the North attended the new yam festival at the Igwe’s palace. Adami Ciroma, Mrs Solomon Lar, Dr. Ekwueme, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu and many other power brokers from the PDP were there. In my presence, Ciroma said the presidency had been zoned to the South and Ekwueme was their choice. We clapped but it didn’t take long the retirement generals came up with a different agenda and they turned it in favour of Obasanjo.
Despite the disappointments, we continued to support them. In fact, it was what they did to Ekwueme that made me leave the PDP in 2001,” he said.
Umeh regretted that the same PDP that has been putting the South East in the frontline of attack because of its unwavering support to it has denied zoning of the presidency to the South East when it is their turn.
According to him, “this is a tragedy of very grave proportion. If they throw it open, they can still make a South East person their presidential candidate. But if they finish this process and fail to support a South East person to be president, it means, we have been fools all along for supporting the PDP.
“We will mobilise the whole South East to reject the PDP, no matter who they field. The South East will be stupid to put one vote for the PDP again.
“In 2015, we supported Jonathan of the PDP, Buhari won. In 2019, they brought Atiku and the South East supported the PDP because they used former governor Peter Obi as vice presidential candidate. Let them not think if they deny us the presidential ticket, we will accept vice presidential ticket. It is not the turn of the North to contest the presidential election.”
However, Umeh is still hopeful that with the array of quality aspirants from the South East, the PDP will nominate its presidential candidate there even after jettisoning zoning.
“But if they don’t do it, I tell you nobody in the South East will vote for them. We will make it impossible for them to get any vote from the South East because they have taken us for a ride. It means our labours for the PDP for over 22 years has been in vain. It means the PDP members from the North have been masterminding the marginalisation and segregation against the South East people in Nigeria. Let them save themselves of this embarrassment by nominating someone from the South East as their presidential candidate. It’s not a threat but votes are our weapons. We will deny them our bloc votes.
“The All Progressives Congress should also wake up. Let the president know that the PDP is up to some pranks and take the historic opportunity of healing all the wounds in Nigeria and stand behind a South East to become president in 2023. Then we will give the PDP the marching orders,” he said.
