TheCable

Abubakar Kawu Baraje, former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), says even if the north-central produces the next party chairman, the zone will still vie for the presidency in 2023.

The opposition party has already agreed to zone the national chairmanship to the north.

In a statement on Tuesday, Baraje said people of the north-central in the party will follow the national executive committee’s (NEC) directive that zoning of party offices will not affect who flies the party flags for various elective offices.

“From the late chief Solomon Lar, Chief Audu Ogbeh, Dr. Ahmadu Alli, Chief Barnabas Gemade, and myself, all of us from North Central have led the party at different times. Alhaji Bamanga Tukur and Alhaji Adamu Muazu from north-east have emerged as national chairman while Dr. Haliru Bello spent only one year as acting chairman with Sen. Ahmed Makarfi who served as caretaker chairman,” he said.

“With this history, in the spirit of fairness and equity, the north-west is most suitable to produce the next chairman.

“We have noted that some leaders outside the north-central zone are scheming and exerting a lot of energy to push the national chairmanship position to the north-central zone to ensure that the post is not in their zone.

“If the chairman eventually comes from the north-central zone, it is just an extra for us. Presidential aspirants from the zones will still vie for the post.

“Let it be noted that it is our position in the north-central zone that we stand by the earlier announcement by the party leadership that the presidential ticket will be free for all qualified aspirants to seek. We believe the party should respect its publicly declared position.

“It is not in the interest of the party for leaders to impose their will on the people.”

Baraje added that anyone who flies the PDP flag in 2023 should be who the party members want.