 This is the breakfast in Plasti, Biafrica. We head straight to our second conversation now We look at the People's Democratic Party dumping zoning and throwing ticket open ahead of its primaries Nigeria's main opposition party the People's Democratic Party has decided to throw open its 2023 presidential ticket to all sections of the country the party's national Disclosures at the end of the People's Democratic National Exetive Council meeting on Wednesday the decision to throw open the ticket. He said was in line with the recommendation made by the party's zoning committee We have Emeka Madunagu a publisher of Metrus Newspaper in Lagos joining us this morning Yes, good morning Let's show your thoughts on this. I mean, what do you make of a party who? Has over time respected the principle of zoning? I mean some people would say that they introduce the politics of zoning into the country There's been the our ideology over time What what do you make of it at a time where there's a clamor for power to shift to the south east? Yeah, well Good morning once again. I think PDP suffering from a lack of sense of history because PDP was the party that ushered Nigeria into the first Republic at the at the federal level and I think they ought to have understood by now that all component parts of Nigeria must be fully represented in the universe of power, so for the PDP to betray the contest open is sort of calling for calling for an ultra defeat in the 2023 elections. Why do I say so? Out of six zones in the country Four zones have actually tasted power. Under the PDP between 1999 and 2015 It launched in with a person there from the southwest for eight years Atiku from the north east of the vice president for eight years. Then in 2007 you had Yaragura from the north west as a president and then the vice president would have been from the south south That was for two years and the Yaragura passed on then the south side moved over to the presidency and You know, they're not to just roll over to the vice president and that lasted another four years, you know So, I mean Then I said another six years. I'm sorry. So until 2015 when Muhammad was breaking on board So of the six zones, all the south east and the north central have not Tasted power under the PDP and I think the PDP should be conscious of this fact because if you now say okay You're throwing the contest open What it means is that you are trying to not deepen the sense of injustice Which actually was one of the things that drew the PDP out of power in 2015 It got so drunk to power that it began to say, okay, it will stay it will stay power for 60 years Began to use and dump. I mean some cheaters of the PDP accused it of Using and using people and dumping them. Oh There must be a sense of justice. There must be a sense of fairness. There must be a sense of belonging In any political party politics is a game of interest. It's about the interests of the common All the members and if there's a clam within the party even outside the party that Power should shift to the southeast under the party. I mean what is what is preventing the party from actually going that way? What is preventing the party from actually saying? Yes, this is what I want to do You can see from the from the outrances and body language of the autumn the committee headed by the banners they got no Samuel autumn and You know, you could see the slate of hand. They were not really sure of themselves They didn't know how to present The hidden agenda to the public. So when when the story broke that they had Recommended that don't need to be jettison. They denied it. But what has happened today? The party leadership has said that it took the son to jettison zoning based on recommendation of the autumn committee And it's unfortunate. Oh, Tom is from the some the north central That you go ahead a committee of that seven members without Bringing in a sense of history sense of justice a sense of fair play into his recommendation. It's unfortunate It's really really unfortunate and I think If the APC goes ahead to push the candidate from the south and the PDP gives it we can't even from the north I Think the PDP is gonna have a serious problem in the twenty-twenty three percent The PDP knows all of this if it is a way of all those internal you know Calculations and zones and fairness and all why would it just want to go ahead and just Seemingly shoot itself in the leg judging by the fact that as it looks right now the ABC is moving towards the south You know the PDP has not really recovered from It's near self annihilation self-immolation that happened after the 2015 election I mean a a lot of these chieftains actually betrayed the party in the run up to the 2015 elections They don't the party and these are the same people now coming back to study on to pick the party's presidential ticket I mean it's it's it's really close. I mean this is politics without principle people like Sarah K Tambuwal who dumped the party and they're coming back and trying to make strong claims I mean the party should actually look and ask itself some some very salient questions Why do I do what do I exist for is this a political party of common interest or Is this a cabal a conclave a link leave of just them some people who I mean Who's interest we're trying to protect? Who don't the party to along with others is I mean is back running for the Going for the going for the ticket. Why? Why it should give way for that people. It should give way for that people. He has run how many times it should give way for the people Let the contest be thrown open. I mean And he's coming back to do what? Sarah kid on the party Enjoyed himself out of the party and then came back again now trying to there should be principle There should be fair play. There are people who have remained consistent with the party for years And they have continued to keep the party running. You know the PDP almost went into extinction You know after the 2015 election but Somehow it came back. It bounced back to power You know about but it has not been able to really play the role of an opposition party So it's not in the wilderness. It's not the ruling party. It's not the position is not the leader of your position as it were so now The PDP maybe imagines itself Still being in control of the levers of power being the ruling party still has hallucinating about that Instead of thinking of what are the best strategies for us to get this power back? How do we go about this? How do we ensure inclusiveness? Okay, there is this myth that okay, if we take a nut and a well Quickly will easily get easily pick votes. I think all back I said he has 11 million votes Well, I wonder whether those votes are transferable from one election to the other But you see be that as it may. I think the party should be very careful about shooting itself in the foot Because you can't use people and don't blame You can't You can't just leave the door open and you say everybody should contest without taking into consideration setting the story come fast Concerning your party since 1999 The PDP should really should really think again about that decision It claims that it doesn't have time That's what your talk committee said that there's no time to Consider whether I should go for something or not, but that is not but that's not correct because I mean if It had all the time in the world up to open till now to take a decision so how is this suddenly saying that that There is no time I neck has also done some adjustments concerning the primary So the PDP should actually go back to the ground water and ask yourself a question You may see the message. Yes. Oh that zoning is not this or that Just like if I remember Jonathan at the time tried to deny Sony tried to claim that all there was nothing like doing until he was shown where he Signed a communicate, you know of the party, you know where he was number 34 and he was shown that and where you don't want to sign this thing that Zoning zoning should be considered now the strange thing in the decision of the party's leadership is that It should work close to listening consensus can be that means I can this baby suspect that The party's leadership is working to an answer is working towards a predetermined answer I mean maybe trying to give the ticket to You know preferred candidates, but it should be careful that it doesn't add to an implosion because we have 18 political parties If you remove the PDP and the APC there are still 16 political parties and if any of its Popular candidates should Walk out of the party and go to another party. It's gonna have a problem in the 2023 elections Nigerians are desirous of a serious Feet capable and able president. That's what we want We don't want people who are tired or who have been unable to put up a serious performance in Office to come and waste our time again for another 180th the kind of experience we've had in the last Seven years of purposeless leadership. We don't want that anymore. Okay, so be sure What is housing other yes, let's look at the Pemutations that you put out you talked about the fact that if the PDP considers Leaving the of course they've considered leaving the ticket open and it happens that Northern candidate emerges then it might just be your favorite for You know the APC para venture they have the tilt towards the southern parts Of course, you have Jonathan now in the race But do you think that Nigerians actually care at this point in time where the presidency emerges from whether the south or the not? Or do you have more concerned about? Who fixes the country? Okay Are you done your question? Yes, please Yeah, I just really care. You see much as we want Proposal and capable leadership. We also are not closing our eyes. They're pretending to look away from historical antecedents We must also realize that the man on the street is Politically aware. I mean social media has actually bridged the communication gap So things happening around the world around the country actually are close to you just You know on your phone. So and interesting in different languages. So The point is this Nigerians want capable a capable Feet and healthy president. Yes But at the same time, there is no zone in the country that are not produced. They could be that That is a fact. I must consider but if you're walking towards a consensus can you must realize one thing That is not just about all want to win election You should be able to get candidates. You should be able to get a candidate a presidential candidate I mean whom you campaign for vigorously Sell this program. Sell is ideal. Sell the programs of the party. Sell the manifesto of the candidate So that you can win power is about going out there to win But if it's just for the purpose of winning just and then it's okay. You give it to the north I bet you a lot of people might leave the party. A lot of people might abandon the party and say, okay, fine What what of what users really believe in? I mean, you still see people defecting from the party Felt him for the party accusing leaders of the party at different levels of injustice accusing them of selective selective Giving giving prominence to their own their their cronies So the PDP must wake up You cannot wish a ways doing it in the nation of 200 million people with seizure political zones You cannot wish it away. It has become a part of our history. We may say it doesn't matter But I must tell you something that these things breed This is breed it. This is breed anger. They breed animosity in people And that's why you see some issues like separatist agitation is on pass of the country That's why you see, you know, people jumping from one platform to the other, you know, different expressions of This content with the way things are being done. So if the north has that Mythical, you know, that mythical voting strength, which some politicians have been pushing fine Then deploy it in the favor of the south. It should be a conversation. That's okay Please we need to give it to the south Southeast Let us now Look at the look at the position look at the possibility that okay the not push it to this Let's support the south for 60 for eight years And then another eight years to go to the north. You see you dance for me and dance for you That's what makes you know, that's what balances you manage. But if we just tilt into one side, then You want to ask me what kind of political party that that is I'll tell you It's not a political party that's serious about Inclusiveness, it's not just about winning an action. It's also about inclusiveness. So if like you said The different permutations in the different political parties Well, if the APC decides to give it to the north, PDB gives it to the north What if a dark horse emerges from another party? What if people not of people just feel that wait a minute What is really going on? We're talking of we're asking for injustices Revealing injustices to be addressed and people are still pushing this thing for all right We don't care. Well, then they support the candidate from another party that horse All right, thank you a maker Thank you a mecca Madinago. We are completely out of time for this particular discourse Well, what's a very big? Thank you, you know to you this morning for all the thoughts that you have shared with us today Yeah Thank you very much. It is our pleasure Well, that's the size of our conversation on the breakfast this morning. We appreciate you Thank you so much for being part of the show. We're 10 tomorrow. The time is 7 o'clock But if you missed out on any part of it, it's alright to follow us in Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and do subscribe to YouTube channel We're plus TV Africa and plus TV Africa lifestyle. I am simple cool Thanks for watching. And I'm Justin. I couldn't you think you've been a part of the show. Bye for now