By Our Correspondent
As the 2023 general elections approach, a Presidential hopeful on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa has cautioned the party not to toy with the zoning arrangement in the party's constitution ahead of the 2023 general election.
Ohuabunwa stated this while addressing a press conference in Abuja.
According to him, the drafters of the PDP constitution realized the place of national integration in the affairs of the nation while putting down the laws governing the operations of the party many years ago.
The former chairman, Nigerian Economic Summit Group, NESG, alsi noted that after eight years of President Muhammadu Buhari Presidency, all hands must be on deck to push for a President of Southern extraction.
“I have written in my book, ‘Nigeria: Need For The Evolution of a New Nation,’ published in 2010, that given our level of political development, ethic diversity, lack of effort to unite us and harmonize us, differences that exist in religion, we need to organize the country in a manner that creates inclusiveness, that creates belongingness where we protect the majority and the minority.
“If we get to a point in our evolution as a nation, zoning and exclusion will become irrelevant. But the way it is today, you cannot have a wholesome nation if you do not have the opportunity to exclude and zone.
“That is why I think framers of the 1999 constitution as imperfect, as it is, provided for the federal character," he said.
He called on all Nigerians regardless of political affiliations to champion inclusiveness and push the idea of rotational Presidency in 2023.
He added: “It is not when it is your own turn that you say it’s your turn. When it’s another person’s turn, you say we should stop zoning. It cannot be done unilaterally. We all have to agree.
“For example, PDP has in their constitution, rotation of power, moving it North and South. How can they come in the middle of the day and tell you stories? I believe that one day zoning will end," he added.
Ohuabunwa also expressed opposition to consensus candidacy, saying such model of selecting candidates always rubs the nation the opportunity to get the best hand.
The PDP chieftain further flayed current crop of leaders for what he called their failure to genuinely sympathize with the vulnerable lot in the society, many of whom he said are being killed daily by criminal elements in the land.
If given the opportunity, Ohuabunwa pledged to address the security challenge in the land through tackling the causative factors as well as committing huge investment on intelligence, job creation and education.
This is even as he promised to prioritize anti-corruption war through enforcement of the rule of law at all times.
No comments:
Post a Comment