2027 presidency: PDP zoning too late, Atiku lacks integrity – Wike’s aide

Lere Olayinka, the Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, on Wednesday raised concerns over the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, zoning of its presidential ticket to the South.

Stressing that it’s too late, Olayinka wondered how zoning of the presidential ticket to the South would benefit the PDP.

Featuring on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, Olayinka said President Bola Tinubu is from the South, hence the North may not be comfortable with a new president in 2027.

According to Olayinka: “Wike saying it’s too late, it’s too late already, what will zoning give PDP now? Now that we have zoned, what will it give the PDP?

“The zoning to the South when you already have a sitting president from the South and he will recontest in 2027.

“Going by the issue of equity, will the people from the North be comfortable with a new president from the South that will be coming to say he will spend eight years?

“You can’t on one hand say that you are looking for competent people, you are on one hand say that you are looking for Nigeria of your dreams, you can’t on one hand say you want this country to be nice and on the other hand you now say because we are looking for the best person, then you choose a Nigerian from Sokoto State and choose the Vice President from Kebbi State and Senate President should come from Maiduguri, SGF should come from Kaduna State.

“No, it doesn’t work that way, those who made the Federal Character part of Nigeria were not stupid, they knew what they were doing, they knew that in every part of the country there are competent people.

“What Wike said in 2022, since the presidential candidate of the PDP emerged from the North, the Chairman of the party should move to the South and what has happened now? Wike did not say zone to South or North. He said move the Chairman of the party to the North because you can’t have the Chairman of the party and candidate of the party from the North or South.”

Olayinka also accused former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of lacking integrity.

He blamed the PDP’s loss in the 2023 presidential election on Atiku’s refusal to adhere to the zoning arrangement then.

Olayinka added: “But some people, including the then candidate Atiku, said he can’t do anything about that, at the end of the day we lost an election.

“What kind of integrity will someone who has moved from one party to second party to third party to fourth party to fifth party to sixth and to seventh party within the state of our democratic experience?

“What manner of integrity should a person come and preach to us? What manner of integrity will somebody who was Vice President of Nigeria under PDP, under PDP ticket as VP, he contested presidential election as candidate of Action Congress.

“The first thing you must do as Vice President with integrity, holding the mandate of PDP, was for the person to have resigned.”

2027 presidency: PDP zoning too late, Atiku lacks integrity – Wike’s aide