Engr. Seyi Makinde, the governor of Oyo State, disclosed that certain northern politicians have begun planning for 2023 by expressing interest in the PDP ticket. He cited Atiku Abubakar, the party’s presidential candidate in 2019, as well as Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed and Aminu Tambuwal. However, there are two reasons why the northern elite may not get the ticket.
The first reason is that the People’s Democratic Party has a strong presence in the south. The PDP can only claim Sokoto, Adamawa, Bauchi, Taraba, and Benue out of nineteen states in the north. The PDP, on the other hand, may lay claim to five states in the south-south (excluding Cross Rivers), one in the southwest, and two in the southeast (excluding Ebonyi).
The governors of the southern PDP can band together and decide to vote for only one presidential candidate, and there’s little or nothing that the Southern governors can do about it. As a result, depending on the permutations, northern lawmakers may not receive a ticket.
It’s worth noting that the southern governors’ decision will have a significant impact on the primary election’s outcome. The southern governors stated at their conference in Lagos that they want political power to shift or relocate to the southern region of Nigeria. It’s possible that they’ll strive towards it.
The second argument is that having a northern chairman and a northern presidential candidate would be problematic for the PDP. Anything is truly conceivable, however, the danger is excessive, and it might cost the political party a lot of money. Mr. Doyin Okupe has cautioned that if the candidate is from the north, the party may lose the election.
The north would very certainly win the national chairmanship. Mr. Iyorchia Ayu, a prominent politician from Benue’s north central region, has been adopted. All that is left is for the PDP to organize a convention at which he would be elected as the lone contender for the position.
While the PDP does have the authority to decide, it will not want to take the chance. Keep in mind that the 2019 event was primarily contested by northerners, the race included Atiku, Tambuwal, and Bukola Saraki. It is impossible to repeat the same mistake. As a result, northern politicians may not receive a PDP presidential ticket.
