A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Kassim Afegbua, has advised former Vice President Abubakar Atiku, to forget his presidential ambition by supporting a younger aspirant from the South.
Afegbua, a former Edo Commissioner for Information, said this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja, while reacting to a comment by Atiku that he was certain of securing the PDP presidential ticket for 2023 poll.
He said that it was the turn of the South to produce the candidate of the PDP for the Presidential poll in 2023.
“Anything short of that will amount to usurping the opportunity, position and chance of the Southern axis to produce the party’s candidate. That will be a direct assault on our collective sensibilities.
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“In 2023, Atiku should be thinking of how to support younger Nigerians from the South of the country to pursue the presidential aspiration of the opposition party.
“Atiku has always supported zoning and should not play the ostrich this time because of his selfish aspiration. Power cannot reside in the North for 16 unbroken years.
“That will be against the normative order, against justice, fairness and equity,” Afegbua said.
He added: “The opposition PDP must copy from the ruling APC in ceding its ticket to the South as a form of gentleman agreement that will promote peace, unity, cohesion and collective responsibility within the party.”
He urged the former Vice President to consider the mood of the nation by jettisoning his presidential ambition as well announce his retirement from partisan politics.
“We want vibrant young leaders like President Volodymyr Zelenskyy who will lead from the front and not those who will run away when they hear the sound of bayonet,” he said.
Afegbua also advised Atiku to concentrate on working towards strengthening the structures of the PDP for more electoral victories.
He alleged that at a time Atiku was supposed to support the party in Saturday’s by-elections in Cross River, Ondo and Imo, he was nowhere to be found.
“No amount of closed-door meetings with former leaders could change the oscillation of the political pendulum in 2023, especially at a time Nigerians have spoken loudly about fielding younger Presidential candidates,” he said.