A former governor of Enugu State, Chimaroke Nnamani, has explained why he is pitching his tent with the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, for the 2023 general election.
Nnamani said the Peoples Democratic Party breached its constitution and disallowed the South the opportunity to run for presidency.
The former governor stated that the PDP constitution specifies that key political offices be rotated between the North and South to ensure equity, justice and fairness.
The PUNCH reported barely a week ago how the Enugu lawmaker was suspended by the PDP alongside other party chieftains in Ekiti and Imo states over alleged anti-party activities.
A statement by the lawmaker on Sunday, and made available to journalists in Abuja, read, “Conscious of the need to share and rotate key political offices among the diverse people of our country, the PDP constitution clearly stated that it shall adhere at all times to the policy of the rotation and zoning of the party and public elective offices in pursuance of the principle of equity, justice and fairness.
“Even when the PDP National Chairman Iyorchia Ayu made a firm commitment to step down should a northerner emerge the presidential candidate for the 2023 elections, the leadership jettisoned the constitutional provision and turned the logic upside down.”
The lawmaker recalled that “the PDP in 2019 allowed the North to contest the primary for the presidency in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, in which Atiku Abubakar clinched the ticket and contested the election.
Commenting further, he pointed out that it was expected that in 2023, the PDP in a corresponding manner would allow the South to contest for the apex position.
He observed that in a twist of events and alleged political manoeuvering, Atiku got the ticket again.
The lawmaker further said that the outcome of the presidential primary infuriated southern PDP faithful including the G-5 governors who insisted on respecting the North-South rotation principle.
The lawmaker added that “the action of the PDP amounted to injustice and lack of equity maintaining that it is morally wrong to leave power in the North after the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.)’s tenure in 2023.”
He noted that Buhari in recognition of the North-South power rotation, created a window for political balancing that enabled Bola Tinubu to emerge as the presidential candidate.
“Having critically examined the situation, I found Tinubu as the preferred candidate from the South to foot the bill in 2023, saying that there is need for political harmony in a manner that gives all parts of Nigeria a sense of belonging,” he said
