2019: PDP has already zoned VP slot to South East – Ben Obi

A former National Secretary of the Caretaker Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party, Senator Ben Obi, has told Vanguard newspaper that the party has zoned the vice presidential slot to the South East for the 2019 elections.
Obi spoke with the newspaper on Tuesday after the emergence of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the PDP’s presidential candidate, with talks that the search for his running mate had begun in earnest.
There had been arguments that the vice presidential candidate must come from the South West or the South East.
Those clamouring for a vice presidential candidate of South West origin hinged their argument on the fact that Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who is being touted to be retained as the running mate of President Muhammadu Buhari and candidate of the All Progressives Congress for the 2019 election, is from the geopolitical zone.
In this regard, one of the names being touted for the position has been that of a former Governor of Ogun State and Director General of the Atiku Presidential Campaign Organisation, Otunba Gbenga Daniel.
Osinbajo is also from Ogun State.
Those clamouring for the South East to produce Abubakar’s running mate have hinged it on the fact that the zone deserves it and should be a precursor to the South East producing the president after the tenure of the former vice president.
The name of a former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, tops the list of those being tipped already.
However, speaking the Vanguard newspaper, Senator Obi said the slot of the vice president for the 2019 election had been zoned to the South East by the PDP.
He said this was one of the recommendations of the committee headed by the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, which has been adopted by the National Working Committee of the party.
Obi told Vanguard: “After the 2015 election, the party set up the Ekweremadu Committee.
“The Committee recommended that the party should zone the presidency to the North and the vice presidency to the South-East.
“The National Working Committee endorsed the recommendations of the committee.”