Lere Olayinka, spokesperson to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has described the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) decision to zone its 2027 presidential ticket to the South as belated.
Speaking on Channels Television on Wednesday, Olayinka argued that the party missed its opportunity ahead of the 2023 election when Wike and other aggrieved members pushed for the same demand.
“It is too late because we had the chance of doing the right thing three years ago that we did not do,” he said. “For instance, if we had agreed with him (Wike), probably the party wouldn’t be where it is today. Head is off already, we are crying. What we should have done three years ago, we did not do.”
He recalled that in 2022, Wike and his G-5 allies had demanded that the PDP zone its ticket to the South, insisting that fairness required a southern candidate after then-President Muhammadu Buhari, a northerner, completed his tenure.
Olayinka warned that the PDP now faces a tougher political reality, noting that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) already has a southern president who will seek a second term.
“The second thing that is too late is that you’re now saying the president should come from the South, but the issue is that another party that is in power has its candidate too from the same South and that candidate would have spent four years in office and will have four years more to spend,” he said. “Now you’re presenting your (southern) candidate to the North, will that North agree with a candidate that will be starting afresh?”
Meanwhile, to address concerns over northern acceptance, the PDP is believed to be courting former President Goodluck Jonathan and Labour Party’s Peter Obi. Jonathan, under the constitution, is eligible to serve one more term, while Obi has recently suggested he would serve a single four-year tenure if elected.
PDP senator Abba Moro (Benue South) confirmed that discussions have taken place with both men, adding that Obi could secure the party’s presidential ticket if he returns.
