Having Nat’l Chairman, Presidential Candidate From North Is Unfair – PDP BoT Chair

It is unfair for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to have both its presidential candidate and the national chairman from the northern region of the country.

This was the stance of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) Chairman, Walid Jibrin,  who was a guest on Channels Television Sunday Politics. 

The presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar, and the national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, are from the country’s northern region, a development Jibrin said is not ideal.

“To tell the truth, it will not be fair for the president of Nigeria to be from the north, the chairman of the party from the north, and the BoT chairman from the north,” he noted during the show.

“By next week, we will get the report. And when we find out that somebody is wrong in what has happened we will come up openly to tell the party that it is wrong. Whatever we can do, we will do it in the interest of the party to make the party remain as PDP.”

The PDP chief, who did not mind giving up his position to fix the rift in the party, also said the main opposition will retain the presidential seat next year.

Sunday’s comments came on the heels of the crisis in the PDP following its presidential election which saw Atiku emerging as the flagbearer.

The former vice president defeated Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State in the keenly-contested poll to clinch the ticket, a feat that kickstarted another round of crisis in the party.

While Wike in the wake of the election claimed he was cheated and accused the PDP of bypassing its laws in the poll, the Rivers leader was recommended, among others, as running mate for Atiku.

But the former vice president instead picked Governor Ifeanyi Okowa State, explaining that the move was because the Delta State governor meets “all or most of the qualities” he desires.

Following the comment, Wike accused Atiku of telling “many lies”. Efforts to reconcile the duo are yet to yield the desired results.