North vs South: Doyin Okupe Tells PDP Where To Zone 2023 Presidency
A former aide of ex-Presidents Goodluck Jonathan and Olusegun Obasanjo, Doyin Okupe has asked the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to not zone its 2023 presidential ticket to the north.
Naija News reports that there have been calls that the two major political parties – PDP and All Progressives Congress (APC) – should zone their presidential ticket to the south.
Some political bigwigs have also called for the major parties to micro-zone their tickets to the South-East ahead of the election.
In a post on Twitter on Thursday, Doyin Okupe warned that if a Northern president emerges as President after President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure then it is possible for the north to rule Nigeria forever.
He wrote: “If PDP picks a Northern candidate for the 2023 elections and because the Nigerian electorates are still largely parochial, that candidate wins at the general elections, then the north will rule for another 8 years, making it 16 years at a stretch.
“If this type of ” clever political manoeuvering,” is employed to alternate northern candidates between political parties, then it is possible for the north to rule the country in perpetuity.”
Doyin Okupe also proposed the adoption of a policy concession in order to satisfy the South West region for a South West president to emerge.
“There is no doubt that what I am proposing is a form of political concession. But this is not strange in our political system and history.
“To assuage the SW in 1999 after Abiola’s unfortunate death, a national consensus was adopted to ensure the emergence of a southwest President.”
“Therefore for the purpose of equity, fairness and continued unity of the country, our party the PDP must categorically zone the presidency to the south.
To do otherwise is to exploit political crass opportunism which will be insensitive to the current feeling among most self respecting southerners in the country.
“It is an undeniable fact that cannot be ignored that a zone in the south is yet to produce an elected president.
” The unity and continued peaceful coexistence of our nation can only be predicated on the time tested principle of equity, fairness and justice,” Okupe tweeted.