From Fred Itua and Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, yesterday, met with some members of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) at his official residence, Akinola Aguda House, in the Presidential Villa, Abuja, as part of consultations on his 2023 presidential aspiration.
It was learnt that the meeting was to intimate the All Progressives Congress (APC) governors of his plan to officially declare to contest the position.
As at 6:45pm yesterday, Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufa’i, his Ogun State counterpart, Dapo Abiodun, Hope Uzodinma of Imo and Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos states, were sighted at the venue of the meeting.
Governor Gboyega Oyetola of Osun, a source said, was represented by his deputy, as he was away in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, for the lesser Hajj (Umrah).
Journalists were denied entry into the venue of the meeting, which seemed exclusive to only the invited governors and their aides.
A sources, however, said Osinbajo held an Iftar dinner with the governors and discussed his plans to continue consultations with other critical stakeholders, especially in the National Assembly over his presidential bid.
“He felt the need to inform the governors ahead of a planned public declaration Monday of his decision to contest presidency in 2023 under the APC platform. Being the chairman of NEC in the last seven years, he had an excellent relationship with governors across party lines, ethnicities and religions.
“Most of the governors are also members or directors of some federation owned agencies where the vice president is the chairman and their relationships in these agencies have also deepened the bonds, producing a robust relationship.
“Practically all the governors are very well disposed to him and vice versa over the years as he has actually become a champion of states, even as the Buhari administration has come to the aid of governors with some different financial bailouts and refund of Paris debt. Invited are both Muslims and non-Muslim governors with sufficient representation from all political zones in the country,” the source said.
The political tension created by Zoning or not Zoning, Rotation or not Rotation and its tendencies to triggered preelection, election and post election violence while This tension is undoubtedly required a sober reflection on Where is Nigerians coming from, Where it is now and Where is Nigerians going democratically as People?
Both PDP and APC have not yet decided on whether the Presidential candidate would be zone to the Southern part of Nigeria or not but the way and manner Presidential aspirants from Southeast, Southwest and South south are declaring their ambition while some were been endorsed on tribal sentiment and some are still not yet come out but they have the Presidential ambition however these desperation of many Presidential aspirants from the southern part of the country confirmed the reality that even though the Presidential candidate eventually Zoned to the South it would undoubtedly resulted to an unprecedented POLITICAL ARMAGEDDON that will abruptly end democracy in Nigeria because the failure of Political parties in Nigeria to have solid foundation of A Political families in over 22years of Democracy in Nigeria while its political culture of zoning, rotation and godfatherism had redefined the true global definition of Democracy from Government of the People by the People and for the People to a mere demonstration of an individual selfish interest in the name of confusion and commotion called Zoning therefore since democracy and its process of choosing a people choice at political parties levels failed it mean Democracy had failed generally.
Only a Democratic Political party with a united Identity as a Political Family can break all religion, tribal, regional and financial barriers where family bond as political party and Nationality as Nigerian remained the basic political ideology and culture of political parties on matters of producing a candidature for an elected offices because democratically Nobody or group or region in any names denying any region Presidency it was Nigerian Barbaric Political culture created all these Political Crisis and its possible monsters continually dividing Nigerians along sensitive lines of Region, Tribe and Religion of which There is nothing democratically wrong if a Political Party as Political Family Produced IGBO/IGBO OR WOMAN/WOMAN OR PHYSICALLY CHALLENGED As their Presidential candidates, what is democratically unacceptable is the barbaric political arrangement/culture of not allowed the name of political party and the Nationality of a candidature to remained the only political Identity at party level than Tribal, Region and Religion identity while the consequences remained the political DOOM Called Zoning or Is Zoning mean an election victory? Since an Individual vote in an election remained the only final decision in producing a Democratic Leaders Zoning become a mere baseless commotion