Former Secretary to Government of the Federation ( SGF), Anyim Pius Anyim, has charged the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to respect the principle of zoning and rotation of offices as enshrined in the constitution.
He gave the charge, yesterday, at consultative meeting with the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) in Abuja, shortly after submitting his presidential nomination forms.
The PDP zoning committee chaired by Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, had recommended that the contest for the party’s presidential ticket should be thrown open.
But Anyim threw a bold challenge to the party leadership: Give me the party’s ticket and I will deliver presidency to the PDP.
Anyim is one of the 17 aspirants – 16 men and one woman – jostling for the party’s presidential ticket.
He said his vision was to build a Nigeria that all Nigerians shall be proud of. He said in his entire 31 years of public service, he had worked only in the presidency as a civil servant, senate president and head of the presidential secretariat in the capacity of SGF.
He said: “My vision is to build a Nigeria all of us shall be proud of. In my entire public service career, I worked only in the presidency: As a civil servant in two parastatals in the presidency. As president of the Senate, I worked alongside a president. As Secretary to the Government of the Federation, I functioned as the engine room of the presidency in the glorious PDP administration of President Goodluck Jonathan.
“I trained as a lawyer and obtained LL.B Hons, BL and LL.M. I joined the party at inception in 1998 and had remained faithful to the party till date. My experience is cognate, my capacity is proven, my nationalist disposition is established and my knowledge of our country is profound.
“If you give me the ticket of our great party, I shall surely win the general election and return to Government as President to continue the truncated good work PDP was doing for the country.”
He said from the vantage positions he has held in government, he understands the challenges the country faces and has clarity of vision of what the solutions are.
In his remarks, PDP National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, said such a wonderful speech can only come from the PDP.
Taking a potshot at the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Ayu said: “The other political party does not have that kind of quality.” He said the like of Anyim gives him hope that all is not lost in the country. Hope is on the way. Hope is when we see people like Anyim coming forward.”