 The Zoning Committee of the People's Democratic Party has recommended the presidential ticket of the party in the 2023 general elections be thrown open to all zones of the country. The decision to throw open the ticket was part of the resolutions it reportedly made during its meeting in Abuja on Tuesday. Now, if this recommendation is adopted by the National Executive Committee of the Party, as parents from any of the six geopolitical zones in the country could run for any of elective positions, including the position of presidential flag bearer of the party. Now, this is against calls and expectations that the party should zone its presidential ticket to the south of Nigeria ahead of the 2023 general elections. The zoning panel, chaired by Ben Wested Governor Samuel O'Tom, reportedly cited the exigency of time as its reason for throwing open the ticket to all its interested as parents. Joining us to discuss this is Ibrahim Abdulahi. Ibrahim Abdulahi is a deputy national publicity secretary of the People's Democratic Party. Ibrahim Abdulahi, thank you very much for joining us on Plus Politics. My pleasure, please. Thank you, sir. We had Governor O'Tom previously coming out to deny that the zoning panel had made a decision regarding the direction the party should go in on zoning. So can you tell us if this is the authentic, authentic position of the zoning panel set up by the PDP? Well, what is to our knowledge is that the panel after a number of sit-ins have come up with a conclusion as to allow the entire country, made up of the south and the north to try for the presidency. We have come up with this decision or the committee came up with this decision, similar to the realization that to broaden the democratic experiment, to allow for the expression of the freedom that every politician aspiring for that office is entitled to and to strengthen the spirit of democracy as it were. Let wisdom prevail on PDP to allow the entire country to try across the south and the north. The politicians aspiring for the presidency could throw their heart in the ring. Let the best man for the job picket and that's where we are now. Do you expect the National Executive Committee of the Party to ratify the choice or the decision recommendation, if you will, of the autumn panel? Well, in the light of the circumstances, I foresee that happening. But I don't. Mr. Abdullah, can you hear us, please? Since the apologies, I think we're having a bit of a network issue with him. But are you there, Mr. Abdullah? All right, we seem to have lost that connection. We'll try and get back the connection as soon as possible. But of course, in reaction to this, the South caucus of the PDP, that's the People's Democratic Party, has also been airing their views regarding this particular decision by the autumn panel. And don't forget that it was at the Benway State Government House in Makodi where one of the bulwarks of the People's Democratic Party, who himself is from the southern part of the country, he is a governor of River State, ESMWK, had declared his intention to run for the office of president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the platform, of course, of the People's Democratic Party. So, you know, not a few eyebrows were raised that Wike had made his announcement in the sitting room of Samuel O'Toole, who was at the head of this zoning panel of the party, you know, and some accusations went his way. But it seems that he has been able to stareship against this accusation, throwing it to the entire country, opening up positions up to the entire country. But there are strong demands from the southern part of Nigeria that the presidential position from the major party should be zoned to the south. And indeed, there were serious interests ahead of the PDP National Convention as to where which zone or which of the six geopolitical zones the chairmanship position of the party would go to. And of course, as we know, the chairmanship position is usually an indication of where the chairman comes from. Usually gives an indication of where the presidential ticket will go to. Well, it's on the spirit of federal character. They say we have back on the line the deputy national publicity secretary of the People's Democratic Party, who was with us earlier before we lost them, talking about none other than Ibrahim Abdul-Lahi. Mr. Abdul-Lahi, are you there? Can you hear me, please? Yes, I can't loud and clear and sorry for that introduction. Not a problem at all. So you were saying that indeed that you were giving us reasons why the panel made its decision. So can you kindly conclude so we move on to the next few questions we have for you? Yes, I was talking about wisdom, which prevailed on the committee, having realized the implication of going either the south or the north. It has been a discussion in the front burner of our national discourse. And over the last two months, to be precise, this zoning issue has become a hydra-headed monster and media has not helped matters either by making it look as if it's heaven and earth. But we understood from the world goal, the need to ensure fairness and equity and justice to everyone across the regions. If the south is asking for it, they are justified because we have qualified persons in the south who could do the job very well. And then we also have the same people in the north. The most important thing for the PDP going forward is to ensure that the power is retrieved from this army of occupation. These people who have on the land, people who have no program, no ideology, no value whatsoever for human life. The major concern of the PDP now is to ensure that it takes back control of the levers of power and to reduce the sufferings of Nigerians to a minimum level that is bearable. And then to also look at ensuring their security and guaranteeing their livelihood. This is what has concerned the PDP more than where the president will be zoned to, the presidency will be zoned to. But suffice to say, yes, even if we are to go by computation, which is becoming necessary now, you would agree with us that in the last 22 years or so since the return of this republic, the PDP government that has ruled for 15 years, I mean 16 years, I beg your pardon, has had southern presidents on the saddle for more than 14 years, or about 13 plus. It was only less than two years that President Eradua would have been put in the midst of all of this, to have ruled this country or the north had a taste of power over the period in question. Obasanjo, president of Michigan Obasanjo had eight Confederate years, and then he was succeeded by Eradua, who in less than two years, you know, fell sick and left believers of power in the hands of a southern vice president, Gulab Jonathan, as it used to be. Before we lost President Eradua, and then Gulab Jonathan succeeded him. And Gulab Jonathan had cumulative, a period of about six years. If you put this together, you are talking about 14 years more or less. And since then, we lost power in 2015. Now, I don't see why the north should not be in the position to ask, for example, for the opportunity to continue governing this country. The reign of powers for PDP is not as important as the interest of the country. The citizenry is our priority. Their predicament is our obligation. We are concerned about how we could put smiling faces around the streets. We are concerned about how we will redeem, you know, the promises that Nigerians got from APC and could not reap any from, I mean, any one of it. We're also concerned about salvaging the nation from the twin melody of hunger and poverty. We are looking at areas of strengthening even the principles of democracy and guaranteeing the fundamental rights. Look at these people. They have succeeded in shrinking even the civic space. Nigeria today is living in past glory. Partitual misery, fraying business and acute frustration. You see the country just on autopilot. Nobody seemed to be in charge. So PDP is not bothered with the issue of zoning as much as it is concerned with the predicament of the nation. The citizens are concerned and we are working tirelessly to ensure that we give them. And I must add, why the north? And I'm not speaking for the north here. I'm just speaking from a rational perspective because I'm a national office of the party. Why the north is concerned more about having it? So even beyond the issue of just two years in the 16 years of the PDP, it's because of electoral capital. For crying out loud, we are looking at the votes to win election. We are not saying the south cannot post of the vote, but you look at the chances of the PDP more in the north. Okay, but Mr. Amlahi, before we go, I still want to state that on Wednesday, Governor Tom Fairman denied the news making the rounds that his committee had thrown open the zoning of all these offices, all these tickets rather, to the entire country. Are you there, sir? Yes, he shouldn't be... Yes, I'm here. If Tom has denied it, I first I will ask, what was the outcome of the committee then that informed the position of the spokesperson coming to inform the party that it was thrown open? Okay. Let Governor Tom control that by coming to tell us exactly what was arrived at. Before we go, when the chairman of the party, I mean, of course, the chairman of the party is from the northern part of Nigeria, albeit the north central, Mr. Ayu. Would it be fair for the party to potentially produce president from the northern part of the country as well? Are you there, sir? I don't have a question correctly, which I'm not sure I did, but yes, I'm here. Okay, I'm saying bearing in mind the fact that Ayu, the chairman of the PDP, is from the northern part of Nigeria, albeit the north central geopolitical zone. Would it be fair, and in adherence to the zoning principle of the PDP that is in its constitution for the party to potentially produce a presidential candidate and a president also from the northern part of Nigeria? Yes, I don't see anything wrong in that if it would translate to electoral victory for the PDP. What is paramount is the exigency of the time that we live in. We're more concerned about looking at the chances of winning election, even if the zoning is contained in our constitution. In any case, it was only a gentleman agreement that was reached in the beginning. It's not an issue that has become as constitutional. But I hear it's in the peoples of the aquatic party constitution, sir. Yes, it is in the framework of the PDP's extant rule for that zoning to be observed. But I don't see why there wouldn't be, even if it's contained in our laws, amendment to provide for opportunity for the north if it would translate to electoral victory for the country. Okay, all right. For the country. Look at the situation as we speak. Which of the southern, yes. All right. I want to thank you very much for your time. Ibrahim Abdullah is the Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the People's Democratic Party. We certainly will have you on the program again to talk some more about these issues. Thank you for your time, sir. Thank you for staying with us. We're out of today's show with a highlight of the week plus politics returns on Monday. I'm Kofi Bartels. Have a great weekend. Everybody wants new Nigeria. Nobody wants to continue with this rusted system. System that is not working for anybody except those who are in government and the colonists and people around them. And when you go to the New Nigeria People's Party, we're happy with the New Nigeria and we're happy with New Nigeria People's Party. And you see, we are not only looking for party with the majority of people. We are looking for party that has a potential of receiving people who are of like minds. The party is very much concerned about the security of this country. Security is key. In fact, in the past, we were taking security for granted because we believe that every responsible government not only in Nigeria, but across the country will ensure the security of lives and properties. Unfortunately, we find ourselves in this country that the government in power cannot really say that they have done that. We have seen what happened just recently from here to Kaduna where the train was attacked. So many people were killed. Some were being injured. Many people were being taken into the bush as we are speaking now. They are there with the bandits. Only God knows what is happening to them. We have seen young men and women especially the young doctor that we have seen being killed and we have seen their dead body and so on. It's very unfortunate. And we are not after the statistics of who was killed, who was not killed. What we are interested in is for the government to go and fish out those bandits and terrorists that are killing innocent Nigerians. Yes, I was trying to have from these assurances that this is who came on board. They went every corner, every loop, assuring Nigerians that they were the only ones with the capacity and the person of Mr. President that the best thing after Jesus Christ that would happen to Nigeria. All Nigeria needed to have all its program was to get that man in power. Today, even his own party feed feed, like we have listened recently from the everybody, grown to me and many, and very many who have come and said to admit that there's failure in administration, that there's gross incapacity, but it didn't take us that long for us to know. The first three months, five before he resumed office, we knew that they were forced in on Nigeria, a person who is devoid of integrity. You see, it is easier for a court to say IPOB is a terrorist group because it is an association that is defined by objectives and there are leadership, there are structures. You can easily define them as a group. So, when you now classify such an organization, then anyone that has to share with that organization can be said to be either a member or a representative, the advancement of such cause. Now, these guys are not structured. They don't go about under any name. They are just bunch of criminals belonging to different camps and different groups that are operating under no, no name, unlike Gege and Dematron as well, Islamist, whatever, that is the book we are up. And ISIS in the Islamic West African province, those are groups that are defined by name and objectives, but these ones are bunch of criminals. The two major political parties are playing political games. One is watching the other and seeing the direction where the other is going before coming up to the next level. What is clear is that both parties are in unity. The Klamo for power to sheet to the Klamo within the EU and show that Klamo is not in the north. That's informed the choice of the chairmen coming from north central to make it possible or in reality that power sheet to the south. Now, the question is, which part of the south? South east, south west, or south south? That's a different issue from the EU. And I'm sure that that is what will be solved at the national convention. All through conventions are being circulated by the government. So whatever happens, whether it's through a convention or election or through convection or through conventions are in you. And what is happening in the EU is that the government will come from the south.