By Rabilu Abubakar, Gombe
The forum of PDP Elders, in the North Eastern part of the country says there is the need to consider the candidate from the zone, to guarantee success for the party in the 2023 Presidential Election.
The forum said there were many reasons to give the North East a chance, more so because the zone was bereaved of leadership of this country, since the death of Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa in 1960.
This was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of the forum PDP elders meetings held in the zone, signed by Dr. Ali Bappayo Adamu, and made available to our correspondent.
The forum noted that since the North-East had not produce a president, compared to other parts of the country and even after the return of democracy in 1999, despite the key role played by Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, for Nigeria’s independence, which freed the country from colonial rule in 1960 and that after that, there were so many influential people from the North East who played tremendous role in the development and maintenance of peace and stability in the country.
However, it said that despite that not one of them was elected as President of Nigeria.
Consequently, the forum further started that during the re-emergence of democracy in Nigeria, southerners had ruled the country more than Northerners, citing Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, who rule for 8 years while Good luck Jonathan governed the country for 5 years.
It however, said late President Yar’adua govern from the North Western part of Nigeria for 3 years, the whole period in which the PDP ruled more with most of the rulers from the southern part of the country.
It said that clearly showed that the North Eastern part of the country was barren from leadership of the country.
According to a statement, the North East suffered a lot of problems such as extreme poverty, arising from insecurity and poor developmental projects in the area.
The forum believes the current security challenges was deteriorating the economic development of the country, which began in the North-East and spread to the other parts of the country.
The North EastODO forum said the solution to the changes must come from the zone, because it is the major producer of food to the nation, particularly the cereals, legumes and hide and skin.
“All these activities were drastically reduced as a result of long term neglect by the leadership of several administrations.” They added.
Also the forum noted the shortage of food and lost the lives of peoples in the zone, as well as the ongoing crises among farmers and herders, would seriously affects farming activities and cause the serous destruction of wealth of huge sums, saying that if opportunity was given to the zone and it eventually produced a presidential candidate and git elected, it would provide all the necessary measures to tackle the problems.
In order for the PDP to win the 2023 election, the forum said there was the need to make consultation to ensure the best candidates emerged to beat the ruling party.
According to the forum, the strength of the candidate would depend on his popularity, a person who knows this country and its problems, a person who has National and international recognition, who influences his community and different regions of the country, who could be accepted by the entire people of the country, regardless of religious and ethical differences.
It said if PDP failed to produce the best candidate, winning this election would be very difficult for the party, because defeating the ruling party was a serious task that needed very suitable candidate.
“and if this candidate come from the North eastern part of the country the victory will be possible, and there is urgent need by the PDP NEC to make this decision if not most of its members will move into forming a coalition to compare with PDP in defeating the ruling party,” said the PDP North East Forum.
