Protesters Storm PDP, APC over Delay on Zoning, Insist Power Must Go South

•Opposition party ignores protesters 

•We’ve not taken a position yet, ruling party insists

Chuks Okocha and Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

A group of protesters, largely from a group by name, the Concerned Nigeria Citizens, yesterday, barricaded entrances to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressive Congress (APC) secretariat gates, insisting that power must shift to the southern part of the country after President Muhammadu Buhari’s eight years in office.

The protesters that stormed the PDP national secretariat at about 11 am carried several placards on why the Nigeria’s presidency must shift to south in 2023.

Although at the PDP national secretariat, known as the Wadata Plaza, no official of the party accorded them any audience, they thereafter proceeded to the Blantyre office of the APC, where the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Felix Morka, told them the ruling party was yet to take a position.

At the PDP office in Wuse Zone 6, vehicular movement was disrupted due to the large presence of the protesters as motorists had to take alternate routes to navigate out of the traffic confusion.

Before departing the PDP office, leader of the group,  Femi Odabinu, presented a letter to the national chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, in absentia.

According to the letter, which read in parts, the Concerned Nigeria Citizen stated, “This letter becomes imperative, in the wake of the National questions that have begun to emerge, on the zoning of the Presidential ticket of your party, ahead of the forthcoming 2023 Presidential election, in our country and presentation of zoning committee report expected to be laid today.

“We are seriously concerned as patriotic Nigerians, that just a few days to the presidential primaries of your party, the party is yet to intimate Nigerians about its decision, in respect of where it is zoning the Presidential ticket to.

“Recall, that the rotation of power in Nigeria, goes beyond mere aspiration of political parties, but also a tool, towards ensuring national unity and  stability, and in this regard, candidates from the southern Nigeria, must be allowed to occupy the position of president in the country come 2023.

“We also wish to remind you, that the established convention is that power must rotate between the North and the South. Hence a president of northern extraction follows that of Southern extraction and vice versa. Any consideration outside of this is foul and may destabilise the polity.

“It is only fair, that after President Muhammadu Buhari, power must come to the south. Any argument against this is inimical to the unity and stability of our nation.

“It is equitable that once the above stands and power is conceded to the south, we will not only be respecting this established convention of power rotation, but we will also be contributing to the dire need, to restore stability and national cohesion, back into our polity.

“It is the turn of the southern part of the country to produce the next president, and we believe that your party, should have no difficulty in coming out with a categorical declaration, on this very important issue, in the next few days.

“This must be done without delay. The principle of federal character is enshrined in the 1999 Constitution, as amended. Remember, there won’t be PDP if there is no country called Nigeria. Let us put Nigeria first in our resolutions.

“While wishing you the best as we move towards the general election, we wish to restate that nothing other than the rotation of power to the South, shall be acceptable to us, and our people,” the letter to the two leading political parties stated.

But the APC National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Felix Morka, who addressed the protesters, reiterated the party has not taken a decision on zoning and promised that the party would ensure fairness to all Nigerians.

Meanwhile, one of the disqualified PDP presidential aspirants, Dr. Nwachukwu Anakwenze, yesterday, appeared before the party’s Presidential Appeal Committee, headed by the National Chairman,  Ayu.

Anakwenze, who arrived the PDP national secretariat at about 11.20 pm, went to committee meeting room, which took place at the NWC office.

He was disqualified by the Senator David Mark presidential screening committee, last Saturday, for failure to meet the criteria set for presidential aspirants of the party

The second presidential aspirant of the party that was disqualified, Cosmos Ndukwe, was knocked out because he took the party to court to compel rotation of the office of the presidential candidate of the PDP as contained in article 37 of the PDP constitution.

Anakwenze, however, came out with loads of files with him at about 1.40pmn and refused to comment on whether or not he had been cleared.