What next for Southern leaders as PDP purportedly throws presidential ticket open?

The hope of Southern leaders and Southern stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP to have the presidential ticket of the party zoned to their region may have been dashed as majority of the 37-member committee set up by the party to resolve the impasse over zoning have agreed to jettison zoning and throw the contest for the presidential ticket of the party open to all.

A source who gave reasons why majority of the zoning committee members agree to throw the presidential ticket open said it is too late to stop aspirants who desire the presidential ticket of the party from contesting it. He added that they took the decision because the ultimate goal of the party is to win the presidential election.

This decision will no doubt not go down well with Rivers State Governor, Nyesome Wike, the leaders of various Southern socio-cultural groups, Ambassador George Obiozor (Ohaneze Ndigbo), Pa Ayo Adebanjo (Afenifere) and Chief Edwin Clark (PANDEF), who have been vocal about zoning of the 2023 presidency to the South.

For Wike and other Southern presidential aspirants who have been insisting that the ticket come to their region, they have no other option than to contest the ticket with their Northern counterparts. If a Southerner end up becoming the presidential candidate of the party, then their failure to have the presidential ticket zoned to the South will not be in vain. However, if Northerner clinches the presidential ticket of the party, the Southern aspirants should override their interest and work for the interest of the party.

For leaders of the various Southern socio-cultural groups, they have already taken a decision not to support any party that fields Northern presidential aspirants. This decision, if unchanged will no doubt affect the performance of the PDP in the South at the general elections.