The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has offered reasons why the Peoples Democratic Party cannot zone its 2027 presidential ticket to the North.
The former governor of Rivers State and member of the PDP stated this when he spoke at a news conference on Monday in Abuja.
He said it would be unwise for the PDP to zone its ticket to the North in 2027 if the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress would come from the South.
Wike minister said: “Why not, as a party, come out openly now and say our presidential candidate will also come from the South?
“You don’t want to do that.
“You want to play the same game you played in 2023.
“It will backfire.
“And when it backfires, you will say these people did this, these people did that.
“I have told people: this smartness will not help you.
“Come out now and let everybody know this is where we are heading.
“This is not the time to send the presidency to the North.
“No.
“The point is that selfishness can kill a system.
“If Mr. President (Bola Tinubu) runs, for example, and wins in 2027, by 2031, the APC will zone their presidential ticket to the North.
“The PDP will do what then?
“Then you’ll come back and say, since the APC has zoned it to the North, let’s keep it in the North.
“What kind of smartness is that?
“In 2023, we told the party: ‘Look, it is in our constitution, when a zone produces the chairman, another zone produces the presidential candidate.’
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“Because of their selfish interest, they manipulated the system.
“They said we shouldn’t do zoning now.
“Before we knew it, some people had gone to buy the form.”
On the defection of some members of the party, including the Governor of Delta State, Sheriff Oborevwori, to the APC, Wike said: “How many times have they (PDP leaders) made efforts?
“How many people have they wooed?
“Rather, every day, you’re after one man.
“Every day, you’re after Wike.”
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