By Job Osazuwa
Former national deputy chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Bode George has said zoning the presidential ticket to the south was non-negotiable.
Speaking on a national television channel monitored by Daily Sun, George clarified that the recommendation of the zoning committee to throw the ticket open was yet to be accepted or rejected by the National Executive Committee (NEC).
He advised every member to adhere to the constitution of the party, insisting that zoning or rotation remained the political spinal cord of the PDP.
He explained that zoning brings unity and gives the six geo-political zones a sense of belonging. He said the idea has sustained democracy since 1999.
George said for fairness, equity and justice to reign, zoning remains sacrosanct. He maintained that the party needed to be definitive on who should contest.
“We can’t go and wash our dirty linen at the convention because the world is watching us. PDP has the capacity to resolve whatever challenges it is passing through. We need to respect our own laws as a party. Most importantly, we must listen to the people because they are the voters,” he said.
In the same vein, the former national deputy Publicity Secretary of the party, Diran Odeyemi said that what was playing out in PDP was healthy for democracy.
“We are lucky in PDP in the sense that virtually all the aspirants are determined and committed that 2023 must not elude PDP. It is an election that we must win and that is why they are all singing one song to bring out a consensus candidate. So I align myself with my leader, George that the next president must come from the south.”