From Fred Itua, Abuja and Okey Sampson, Umuahia
Some prominent members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in Abia have faulted the zoning of 2023 governorship ticket to two different senatorial districts of the state at the same time.
PDP had Saturday in a statement by the state chairman of the party, Asiforo Okere, said it zoned the party’s governorship ticket to Abia Central and Abia North Districts.
First to fault the decision was former Senate President, Senator Adolphus Wabara, who said it was “absolutely unconstitutional for the party to make a zoning that is confusing and not clear-cut”.
Senator Wabara, secretary, Board of Trustees (BoT) of PDP, expressed surprise that the party could take such a far-reaching decision without first convening a meeting of the State caucus and party elders.
“The governor and the party chairman cannot stay in the comfort of their offices and zone the position without due consultations.
“PDP is a party that has constitution. So, I don’t know where they got the whole idea from. As far as I’m, and many other leaders of this party are concerned, they did not summon a meeting of the caucus.
“I’m not sure other leaders attended any caucus meeting not to talk of attending any Elders Council meeting where such decisions were reached.
“I may not be a founding father of PDP but I am a founding member of the party. In 1998 when we funded this party, I did not see the likes of Okezie and Asiforo there.”
The former Senate President dismissed the zoning as “unilateral, childish and laughable.”
Senator Wabara asked Governro Okezie Ikpeazu to copy the openness of his predecessors who left no one in doubt of where their preferred successor would come from.
“He cannot read our constitution upside down and use excessive force because he is the governor. No, that won’t work!
“I still stand by what I said before: If things are not done the right way, PDP will lose Abia State. So, we should try to do the right thing.
“The Governor said that very soon he will show the way. By the time he shows us the way, he will now realize the full error in zoning governorship position to two senatorial districs with the flimsy and illiterate excuse that there are so many aspirants from both zones.”
Similarly, Senate Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe, also rejected the purported zoning arrangement.
Abaribe, who represents Abia South was reacting to a statement credited to the Abia State chairman of the PDP, Dr. Alwell Asiforo, that the ticket had been zoned to Abia North and Central zones.
In a statement, he urged “all Abians who are desirous of an end to imposition in Abia State to disregard the purported zoning.”
He said while any member of PDP has the right to support anybody for any elective position, it cannot be to the exclusion of other members.
“It is obvious that the statement was merely formulated to exclude me from the contest. By virtue of section 42(2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, no person or body can exclude me (Nma Agha Ndigbo) from contesting and winning the 2023 elections in Abia State. All PDP members and Abia citizens are therefore urged to remain calm and participate in the forthcoming congresses and primaries where your voice will be heard as we dismantle the cabal that want to keep Abians subjected to further years of imposition. It is only Abians that will decide who will be their Governor in 2023,”
In the same vein, youths in the state, under the aegis of Abia Youth Vanguard, have faulted the zoning of the governorship ticket to two districts instead of Abia North alone by the PDP.
The PDP on Saturday night announced the zoning of governorship ticket to Abia North and Abia Central.
The youths described the zoning as weird with sincerity, which is capable of throwing the ruling party into crisis.
In a statement by its chairman, David Onwuneme, in Umuahia, the youths said the action was a smokescreen for the actualisation of the self-succession agenda of Ngwa people through Governor Ikpeazu.
They said the zoning arrangements in the state, since 1999, had always been for one zone at a time and never two zones as announced by PDP.
“The zoning started in Abia North in 1999, with Orji Uzor Kalu. Then it went to Abia Central in 2007 with TA Orji after which it got to Abia South with the incumbent, Okezie Ikpeazu in 2015. Naturally therefore, it should return to Abia North in 2023.
“Orji Uzor Kalu publicly declared TA Orji as his successor. TA did same by publicly announcing Ikpeazu as his successor. We expect the governor to follow suit by picking one person from Abia North as his preferred successor,” Onwuneme said.
He said it was weird that Abia Central which handed over to Ikpeazu just seven years ago is included for the 2023 contest because of the quest for self-succession, knowing that Isiala Ngwa North and South are in the zone.
The youths said if Governor Ikpeazu and PDP believe in the Abia charter of Equity, the governorship ticket should be zoned solely to Abia North, in accordance with rotation arrangement in the state.