‘Jonathan is north’s best bet in 2027’ — PDP chieftain makes case for ex-president

Umar Sani, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), says former President Goodluck Jonathan remains the most strategic option for the north if the opposition party decides to zone its 2027 presidential ticket to the south.

In an interview on Trust TV, Sani, who served as senior special assistant on media and publicity to former Vice-President Namadi Sambo, said while he is not opposed to power shifting between regions, it must be guided by fairness and the historical performance of each region within the PDP.

“I am not against, you know, movement from the north to the south or from the south to the north,” he said.

“But what I’m interested in is the justice of the matter, the equity and justice of the matter.”

He said PDP leaders must evaluate how power has been shared between the regions since the party’s inception, insisting that the north has been “deliberately shortchanged”.

“Of the 16 years of PDP, how many years has the north actually performed there? And how many has the south performed? That is the question that should agitate our minds,” he said.

Sani dismissed the idea that the north should forfeit the 2027 presidency simply because former President Muhammadu Buhari, who is from the region, spent eight years in office.

“Buhari is not a member of our party. Most of our party people did not vote for him,” he said.

“So, we do not recognise Buhari’s rule as inclusive of that of the PDP. And as such, my take would have been to ensure that there is equity, fairness — that the ticket should be zoned to the north.”

He, however, said if the PDP insists on zoning the ticket to the south, then it should go to the south-south.

“But be as it may, I would prefer that President Jonathan take the ticket,” he said.

“Not because I do not like Obi, but because that would ensure that the south would have completed their four years.”

When asked about Peter Obi’s promise to serve only one term if elected, Sani dismissed it as mere “political talk”.

“Well, it’s just a political talk. It’s not about trusting him,” he said.

“The issue is, how are you sure that that thing will materialise?”

He said there is a difference between someone making a political promise and someone who is constitutionally limited.

“This one (Jonathan) is compelled by the law. He does not need to make any promise. He has to go after four years,” he said.

“This one (Obi) is making a promise. A promise can be kept and may not be kept. But on this one, you are sure that it must be kept.”

Sani said for northern PDP stakeholders, Jonathan remains “the best choice”.