2023: Zoning is not the solution to Nigeria’s problems, says Atiku

Former Vice-president Atiku Abubakar said where the president comes from had never been the solution to the series of problems facing the nation.

He stated that the next president could come from any region as his party – the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) moved to reclaim power at the centre in 2023.

Atiku made the remark on Thursday at the meeting of the PDP National Executive Committee held at the party’s national headquarters in Abuja.

“The PDP has the right to determine its rules on how the party should be governed,” he said.

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“The people of Nigeria also have the right to determine who governs them.

“Where the president comes from has never been the problem of Nigeria, and I can cite examples; neither will it be the solution. There is no such thing as a president from Southern Nigeria or a president from Northern Nigeria.

“There is only one president from Nigeria, for Nigeria, by Nigerians.”

Addressing members of the party’s highest decision-making body who approved the recommendations of the PDP Zoning Committee, he asked them to be fair and just in deciding where the party’s presidential candidate would come from.

Atiku, who was the presidential candidate of the main opposition party in the 2019 elections, said he believed the PDP had the right to determine who represented it or not, just as citizens reserved the right to decide who to vote for.

According to him, there was nothing like a southern or northern president as what was important was that such an individual must be a Nigerian.

The former vice-president stressed that the decision of the NEC would largely determine whether or not the PDP would have a chance in 2023 to return to power or not.

“Since the inception, this party has faced serious challenges and has risen above sentiments to solve those challenges and move forward,” he added.