From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
Abia State chapter of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has zoned the governorship seat to Abia North and Abia Central senatorial zones of the state.
Announcing the stand of the party in Umuahia yesterday, the party’s Publicity Secretary, Fabian Nwankwo, said the party took the decision after wide consultations with leaders and stakeholders in Abia, and meetings by the State Executive Committee and State Working Committee.
The party, which noted that Governor Okezie Ikpeazu was not part of the zoning decision, appreciated the governor for his leadership examples and commended him for ensuring that the party’s flag-bearer would only emerge through a process guided by party decisions.
“We have looked at the agitations from the two zones. We looked at the area of interest and the number of aspirants from the two zones. What the party is looking for is a candidate who has the capacity and acceptability to run.
“There are so many parameters we put on the table before arriving at this decision. Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has no hand in this decision,” Nwankwo said.
Abia PDP, however, said that chances of governorship aspirants from Abia South were not foreclosed by the zoning decision.