–Write National Executives, Anyim, Others
By Nwogha Ndubuisi, Abakaliki
The seven Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governorship Aspirants of Ebonyi North Senatorial District on Tuesday 18th April,2022 have formed a common fronts and written to the party national leadership demanding the rotation of the gubernatorial position to Ebonyi North Zone.
This is even as they requested that the party’s rotation policy as enshrined in the PDP’s Constitution be enforced, as well as, the extant practice in Ebonyi State, therefore, zone the governorship position to the Ebonyi North Senatorial zone in the upcoming general election.
According to communique collectively signed by the duo, and addressed to the office of the PDP National Chairman, PDP National Headquarters, Abuja and other critical stakeholders of the party asked that maintaining the zoning formula would help enthrone political stability in the state.
Our reporter learnt that the letter was also copied to some of the party stakeholders including the Zonal Vice Chairman of the Party, Enugu, the Ebonyi State PDP Chairman, Distinguished Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, Distinguished Senator Sam Ominyi Egwu, two PDP Board of Trustees Members from Ebonyi State – Senator Nguji Ngele and Owelle Barr Felix Mgbada respectively.
Among them who endorsed the letter are the state governorship aspirants from Ebonyi North Senatorial zone including Dr Ezeh Emmanuel Ezeh, Sylvester Ogbaga, Austin Edeze, Professor Benedette Adaeze Nwuzor, Nwazunku Augustine Alugbala and Fidelis Nwankwo (Omerugropfuru).
It was gathered that the letter stated that their decision was taken on Easter Monday, 18 April 2023 during their meeting at Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State Capital.
According to the letter, the governorship hopefuls have resolved to work together in the spirit of oneness, unity and progress of the PDP towards upholding the ideal of the party and promoting fairness, equity and justice in the implementation of the party’s Constitution in Ebonyi State.
They called on the PDP leaders and stakeholders at all levels to “support the rotation system of selecting/electing flag bearer into the governorship position by PDP among the three senatorial districts/zones of Ebonyi State and to jettison the unknown formula of political blocks in Ebonyi State as the basis of zoning of the gubernatorial position in the upcoming 2023 party primaries.”
The governorship aspirants who have all bought nomination forms noted that the entire PDP presidential aspirants of the South-East zone extraction recently demanded that the presidential position of their party in the 2023 primaries be zoned to the South-East Geopolitical Zone of Nigeria which same should be entrenched in the state.
The letter further read: “In like manner, the governorship aspirants of the Ebonyi North Senatorial District/Zone hereby demand that the governorship position be exclusively zoned to the Ebonyi North Senatorial District/Zone in the upcoming gubernatorial primaries to ensure consistency, fairness and equity.”
The PDP guber-aspirants recalled that in 1999, the Ebonyi North Senatorial District produced the first governorship candidate of the party and subsequently followed by the Central and the South Senatorial districts respectively.
They added: “We are further constrained to observe that in 2019 the then leadership of our great party tried to zone the governorship position to the Ebonyi North Senatorial District when it was due to the Ebonyi South Senatorial District.
“However, this attempt was rejected by Ebonyi PDP faithful in compliance with the extant rotation system of the party in Ebonyi State.
“We sincerely acknowledged the early efforts of the well spirited PDP stakeholders of Ebonyi South Senatorial District/Zone who had variously supported that the gubernatorial position is zoned to the Ebonyi North Senatorial District in the 2023 primaries.
“We appeal to our fellow contestants from both Ebonyi Central and South to appreciate the extant zoning practice in the collective interest of our great party and the state; more so, since Ebonyi North Senatorial District have made verifiable efforts and sacrifice to uphold the zoning arrangements till date.”
The governorship aspirants, therefore, implored the PDP leadership at the national, zonal and state levels to enforce the party’s rotation policy by the PDP Constitution as well as the extant practice in Ebonyi State, by zoning the governorship position to the Ebonyi North Senatorial District, where it started since the state returned to democracy for the overall interest of Ebonyians
