2023 presidency: Gov Bala got it wrong on APC’s zoning to South – Okechukwu, VON DG

From Okwe Obi, Abuja

The FCT minister had, after his visit to Obasanjo in Abeokuta told journalists that APC’s decision to zone the Presidency to the South was not a threat to the PDP, because his party’s strategy was to whip up  ethno-religious sentiment.

 But, speaking to reporters in Abuja, yesterday, Okechukwu, who is a chieftain of APC said, “Methinks if the statement credited to him is correct, His Excellency, Bala Mohammed and by extension PDP, is simply being opportunistic by saying that APC’s zoning of Presidency to the South is not a threat to the PDP, because if we put it to the North, it will give us more electoral victory. That’s ethnic chauvinism simple.

 “The Bauchi State governor and PDP seems to forget that Nigerians are fair-minded and upholds justice and equity in their voting preferences. That was why the late Moshood Abiola of Social Democratic Party (SDP), defeated Alhaji Bashir Tofa in his Kano State home in 1993.

“In 2023, Nigerians are going to repeat that feat by acknowledging President Muhammadu Buhari and APC’s decision to do the right things for national unity peace and progress.

“To me, the doctrine of swap of offices between the north and the south is a masterstroke by Mr. President and good for APC and Nigerians in every material particular.

“It is not only a threat to our sister political party, the PDP, but also signals their imminent defeat. My friend governor’s reaction seems inspired by sense of defeatism and phobia for APC.”

He regretted that “after just seven years in opposition, PDP has retained its character of deception, duplicity, selfishness, promise and fail; otherwise how can a rational political party flagrantly breach its constitution, which expressly ingrained zoning?”

 On the perception that PDP’s strategy could be geared towards getting more votes from the north, Okechukwu insisted that the Bauchi governor may be speaking on behalf of those who underrate the political sophistication of the north and their abiding faith in equity, natural justice and good conscience.

 While contending that the governor may have forgotten that a latent vote bank would be created in the South through a southern presidential candidate, the VON DG stated: “The north cannot be led by the nose by Governor Mohammed and his co-travellers.

“Have we forgotten how notable northern politicians like Alhajis Abubakar Rimi, Umaru Shinkafi, Adamu Ciroma, Dr Sola Saraki et al out of overriding public interest and uncommon patriotism constructed the zoning convention, which birthed the 4th Republic as the longest democratic era in the annals of Nigerian history?

 “I am confident that Nigerians cannot forget in a hurry how PDP nurtured Nigeria towards becoming the World Poverty Capital, gross unemployment and palpable insecurity by their squander mania and share-the-money syndrome which became its slogan.

 “Nigerians know that those monies PDP shared among themselves and their cronies were budgeted for critical infrastructure and social development of our dear countrymen.

“It is therefore ironical that the same PDP is struggling to wash off its hands like Pontus Pilate from squandering money budgeted for military equipment, roads, rails, education and healthcare.

“Or do we forget the less than transparent sale of national assets and State owned Enterprises, where the sordid agreements like that of DISCOs are more or less tailored by tenant for the Federal Government, who is supposed to be the landlord.

“The tenancy-tailored agreements had made it impossible to unbundle the none performing DISCOs and free Nigerians from the yoke.

“That is the darkness we cannot easily overcome. One flatly disagrees with those who say that APC and PDP are the same, because whereas our great party invested in critical infrastructure, PDP shared Nigeria’s money for temporary happiness.”