BREAKING: 2023: PDP Governors 'disqualify' Atiku; contentious over zoning

By Dansu Peter 

Baring last minutes change, the governors under the platform of the People's Democratic Party, PDP may have ruled out the possibility of handing it 2023 presidential ticket to a former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, a report according to The Nation newspaper suggests. 

The newspaper reported that efforts to end the disagreement over the zoning of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential ticket in next year’s election by its governors failed to yield fruit at a retreat in Ghana earlier in the week.

They returned from Accra, the Ghanaian capital yesterday after failing to reach a consensus on the contentious issue.

The meeting took place between Tuesday and Wednesday, our source reported. 

The governors were split along the North-South divide at the meeting.

Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal, according to sources, insisted on going for the ticket.

He declined a proposal that he should accept to be running mate to a Southern candidate.

There were indications that the governors ruled out the chances of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in the race for the ticket.

The governors decided to take the meeting to Ghana when they gathered in Yenagoa for the second anniversary of Bayelsa State Governor Duoye Diri on Monday.

They subsequently travelled to Accra.

Although Tambuwal was not in Yenagoa, he joined his colleagues at the Ghana meeting.

Other governors at the meeting, according to sources, are Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Emmanuel Udom (Akwa Ibom), Bala Mohammed (Bauchi), Samuel Ortom (Benue), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia) and Ahmadu Fintiri (Adamawa).

It was learnt that Governor Emmanuel’s interest in the presidential ticket came to the fore at the meeting.

A source said: “These governors used Diri’s anniversary as a shield to sneak into Ghana for a crucial meeting on zoning in anticipation of the release of timelines for primaries by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

“At the meeting in Accra, the Southern governors insisted on power shift to the South in 2023.

“From their talks, ex-VP Atiku was ruled out as the party’s candidate in 2023.

“But some of them offered Tambuwal the Vice Presidential slot which he rejected.

“At the end of the day, there was no consensus on any of the presidential aspirants either from the North or the South.

Full gist at The Nation Newspaper