Northern Central Zone Lobbies for ADP’s Presidential Ticket

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The North Central zone of the Action Democratic Party (ADP) has made a bid to field a presidential candidate on the platform of the party in the 2019 elections.

A delegation from the zone thursday stormed the national headquarters of the party requesting that the North Central be given the opportunity to produce a president, saying the Northwest has had its full opportunity.

The move by party leaders from the North Central zone came just as ADP lamented the prevailing hunger, violence and killings in the country.

Speaking on behalf of delegates from all states of the zone, Senator Yusuf Nagogo insisted that since democracy took off in Nigeria, the North Central has never been considered for the presidency.

According to him, for the fact that North-Central is the heartbeat of Nigeria, the region must be considered.

He said since the return of democracy in 1999, the North Central zone has been relegated and impoverished.

“I am making this this request before the national leaders of ADP to please return the presidency to the North-central zone. We have capable hands and we will not disappoint the country,” he said.

Nagogo argued that Alhaji Shehu Shagari is from the Northwest and so was Musa Yar’adua and now President Muhammadu Buhari.

According to him, the North-east region also had Alhaji Tafawa Balewa in the first republic and Atiku Abubakar as vice president.

“If after 2019 we are deprived again, we do not know when it will again return to the North,” he added.

Nagogo wants the Northern elders from the North-west and North-east zones to consider the North Central “if we are truly one.”

In his remarks, the National Chairman of the party, Yabagi Sani, said the party is pained at the growing anger, hunger and killings currently going on in the country.

Speaking on the state of the nation, ADP chairman said democracy means everybody must have their say and ask question when things are going wrong.

“We are therefore calling on authorities to quickly rise to the occasion of insecurity in Nigeria because we believe that Nigerian army is equal to the task.

“Anger, hunger and killings currently going on in the country are not dividend of democracy. We are calling on All Progressives Congress (APC) government to leave a good legacy before leaving office in 2019,” he said.

On the request for presidential ticket, Sani said the party had already set up committees in each of the Northern zones to look into the issue of presidency and seek out a credible presidential material that will take Nigeria out of the woods.

He assured Nigerians that the party would look into the request, adding that the North Central should work hard for it and put forward credible candidates.

While describing ADP as a child of necessity, Sani insisted that the party for now would not be merging with any other political party or group, adding however that the doors of ADP are open to any group or political party.

He however said the party is already having meetings with different groups and political parties on “how to move the country forward.”

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